Dangerously cold air has sent temperatures plummeting into the single digits around the U.S., with wind chills driving them even lower. Throw in the snow some areas are getting and you’ve got a bone chilling mix that may also be super messy.
The result?
School delays and cancellations, a fatal car pileup and worries about the homeless.
Here’s a look at what’s happening:
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A PILEUP IN WHITEOUT CONDITIONS
An 18-vehicle pileup that happened in whiteout conditions on a western Pennsylvania interstate has left two people dead and nearly two dozen injured.
Nine trucks, several of them tractor-trailers, and nine cars were involved in the crash Wednesday afternoon on Interstate 80 in Clarion Township, state police said. At least one of the trucks was carrying hazardous material, but no leaks were found.
None of the injuries was thought to be life-threatening, but three of the approximately 20 people taken to the hospital, appeared to have serious injuries. The others were treated for everything from bumps to broken bones.
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DELAYING AND CANCELING SCHOOL
School districts from the South to the Northeast and Midwest are delaying the start of classes or canceling school altogether.
Wind-chill readings below zero were forecast in such places as Alabama and Asheville, North Carolina, along with a chunk of the Midwest and the Plains. Some areas also are seeing anywhere from a few inches to a foot of snow.
In northwest Georgia, schools in Catoosa County will have a two-hour delayed start on Thursday because of temperatures expected to top out at 27 degrees and dip as low as minus 2 degrees with wind chills. School officials have urged students to wait for buses inside or in warm cars with parents, and have said bus drivers would make individual stops at students’ homes and blow their horns if necessary.
Among the many cities modifying school schedules is Detroit, where it was 3 degrees early Thursday. Students got the day off Thursday at Detroit Public Schools, the state’s largest district, and at many other districts around Michigan.
In New York, most of the school delays Thursday morning are in the state’s eastern half, from the Syracuse area to the Adirondacks, Albany area and Hudson Valley. Pre-dawn low temperatures ranged from minus-23 in Saranac Lake to 6 below in Albany. Forecasters say winds gusting to as high as 35 mph Thursday afternoon will make it feel like 45 below in parts of northern New York. The bone-chilling cold is being accompanied by lake-effect snow in parts of western and northern New York.
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GETTING WORSE BEFORE BETTER
Another Alberta clipper barreling down from Canada is bringing more bad winter weather to the Dakotas.
The National Weather Service has posted a variety of blizzard and winter weather advisories, watches and warnings for the Dakotas through Thursday. Not a lot of snow is expected, but winds gusting to 50 mph will blow around the snow that’s on the ground.
In Minnesota, forecasters expect blizzard conditions to develop in a portion of the River Valley. Weather officials say wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph combined with fresh snow will significantly reduce visibility, especially in open, rural areas. A blizzard warning was posted in an area from Granite Falls southeast to Mankato and Albert Lea.
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STAYING WARM, REACHING OUT TO THE HOMELESS