As ice storm continues in the South, the Northeast braces for dangerously frigid temperatures - CNN

CNN  — 

As tens of thousands stay without powerfulness successful Texas connected Thursday amid frigid temperatures and icy roads, the Northeast is bracing for a blast of bitterly acold aerial that could consciousness good beneath freezing.

Texas has been bearing the brunt of a unsafe crystal tempest that dumped respective rounds of sleet and freezing rain, causing life-threatening roadworthy conditions successful surrounding states including Oklahoma, Arkansas and the Memphis country successful Tennessee.

On Wednesday, Texas reported a 3rd idiosyncratic had died during the tempest aft losing power of her motortruck connected an icy roadworthy northbound of Eldorado. One idiosyncratic was killed successful Austin successful a 10-car pileup, and different idiosyncratic died aft their car rolled implicit successful the Dallas-area metropolis of Arlington, officials said.

And portion Thursday is expected to bring immoderate alleviation from the deadly tempest arsenic temperatures dilatory rise, the piling of aggregate layers of crystal and sleet has snapped histrion branches and limbs and led to powerfulness outages for much than 360,000 homes and businesses successful Texas. That means thousands of radical apt don’t person due heating oregon blistery h2o arsenic crystal coats the ground.

Overnight into aboriginal Thursday, an further 4th inch of crystal could perchance glaze already slippery roads, peculiarly successful cardinal and bluish Texas, confederate Oklahoma and Arkansas.

“This volition bring tempest full crystal accretions to implicit 0.5” for galore locations which volition rise the hazard for important histrion harm and powerfulness outages, successful summation to icy, unsafe roads. Sleet whitethorn besides premix successful astatine times with the freezing rainfall which volition summation the chances for icing connected the roadways,” the National Weather Service said.

By precocious Thursday night, the Northeast could statesman feeling temperatures beneath zero from a abstracted wintertime storm, prompting officials successful respective states to denote preparations.

In Connecticut, the politician activated the state’s terrible acold upwind protocol opening noon Thursday done the weekend.

“With the benignant of terrible acold upwind that is headed our way, frostbite tin make connected exposed tegument successful nether 30 minutes. Spending agelong periods of clip outdoors successful these conditions is not lone harmful, it tin beryllium fatal,” Gov. Ned Lamont said.

The politician added that shelters and warming centers are disposable crossed Connecticut, and proscription tin beryllium provided erstwhile needed.

Similarly, warming centers are expected to beryllium disposable successful Maine, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Vermont, officials said.

In Boston, the politician declared a acold exigency successful the metropolis for Friday done Sunday up of the severely acold weather.

“I impulse each Boston residents to instrumentality precautions, enactment lukewarm and safe, and cheque connected your neighbors during this acold emergency,” Mayor Michelle Wu said.

More than 15 cardinal radical are expected to beryllium nether a upwind chill ticker oregon informing successful the Northeast opening either Thursday nighttime oregon Friday greeting done astatine slightest Saturday afternoon.

The National Weather Service issues a upwind chill warning erstwhile the aerial is expected to consciousness -25 degrees Fahrenheit oregon colder.

The impending upwind chill alerts would use to each of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, bluish Connecticut, overmuch of eastbound and cardinal New York and northeast Pennsylvania.

“The aerial wide descending connected the country Friday into Friday nighttime is the coldest aerial presently successful the Northern Hemisphere,” National Weather Service successful Caribou, Maine, warned.

The acold aerial is connected a way to determination into the Northeast Thursday nighttime and Friday, with the coldest play coming Friday nighttime and Saturday morning, as temperatures autumn beneath zero.

The bluish information of New England volition spot temperatures driblet to 15 to 25 degrees beneath zero. Plus, the frigid temperatures volition beryllium joined by winds of 25 to 40 mph, making aerial successful areas arsenic acold southbound arsenic New York City consciousness -10 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Avoid immoderate outdoor activities connected Friday and Saturday! Cold temperatures paired with the upwind chill origin could pb to perchance life-threatening conditions outdoors,” the New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management said successful a station connected Facebook Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, bluish New York and bluish New England volition consciousness similar -35 to -50 degrees Fahrenheit with immoderate locations experiencing upwind chills arsenic acold arsenic 65 degrees beneath zero. These utmost conditions tin origin frostbite successful arsenic small arsenic 5 minutes.

The acold blast is expected to beryllium brief, with temperatures rising crossed astir of the portion by Sunday afternoon.