The arctic blast impacting much of the continental U.S. may be ending soon, but one region is bracing another cold-related weather event this week.
The eastern half of the U.S. from Minnesota to northern Florida and up to New England was blanketed in frigid conditions on Friday morning, a continuation of freezing temperatures experienced all over the country in recent days.
Wind chills Friday morning were below zero degrees Fahrenheit in Minneapolis, near-zero in Chicago and in the teens and single digits in the Northeast.
Temperatures are near freezing in northern Florida and southern Georgia, where a frost advisory was issued.
Lake effect snow — the result of cold air moving over the Great Lakes while they are still ice-free — brought 3.5 feet of snow to western New York and up to 20 inches to northern lower Michigan on Thursday. Winds gusted to near 40 mph, creating whiteout conditions in heaviest lake-effect snow bands.
On Friday morning, the lake effect snow warning continued for Ohio, Pennsylvania and western New York, where some areas could accumulate between 6 inches and a foot of snow, forecasts show.
The cold air will last for one more day on Saturday before a moderating trend begins on Sunday and into next week for most of the East.
However, a new storm system is moving into the Plains and the Midwest Friday into Saturday morning. The National Weather Service has issued an ice storm warning for Iowa and other ice alerts from Kansas to Minnesota.
Cities like Des Moines, Minneapolis and Omaha are under alerts later from Friday and into Saturday morning.
Freezing rain could glaze roads to more than a half an inch, creating treacherous driving conditions.
What is an ice storm?
Heavy precipitation when temperatures are below freezing can create an ice storm, according to the National Weather Service.
Accumulations of ice can down trees, communication towers and utility poles, according to the NWS. In addition, ice storms can create black ice — patchy ice on roadways or other transportation surfaces that cannot easily be seen — and ice jams in lakes and streams, which can contribute to severe flooding, the NWS said.
How to prepare for an ice storm
The NWS advises residents under threat of a winter storm to make sure homes, vehicles and offices are stocked with necessary supplies, such as chargers, food, first aid kids, fuel and jumper cables.
The agency also advised residents to make sure pets and farm animals have the essentials they need.
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