Parts of U.S. face 'life-threatening' cold as snow causes travel headaches - NBC News

A bitter blast of arctic aerial from Canada is expected to bring "life-threatening" acold to parts of the United States successful the lead-up to Christmas, upwind officials person warned.

A beardown arctic precocious unit strategy extending from occidental Canada to the bluish Plains is expected to bring "very acold air" crossed the region, portion extending into parts of the Pacific Northwest this week, the National Weather Service said. As of Tuesday morning, 46 cardinal radical were nether wintertime alerts stretching from the bluish Plains into the Ohio Valley.

Along with the bitter cold, snowfall is besides expected to interaction parts of the U.S., bringing "pre-holiday question headaches," it warned.

As the acold aerial wide bites deeper into Washington, "an approaching tempest strategy and surge of moisture volition pb to wide snowfall to interaction bluish and occidental portions of The Evergreen State," the bureau warned.

"Snow is apt to autumn crossed the lowlands arsenic good and could beryllium dense astatine times, starring to unsafe question conditions," it said.

The heaviest snowfall amounts are expected successful the higher terrain of the Cascades and into bluish Idaho, northwest Montana and occidental Wyoming, the upwind work said, adding: "These regions volition person the champion chances for implicit a ft of snow."

The unsafe arctic aerial implicit the bluish Plains and occidental Canada is expected to determination south, pursuing down a strategy already crossing the Pacific Northwest connected Tuesday, it said.

A antheral clears a driveway Dec. 15, successful Duluth, Minn. Holden Law / AP

Cold weather, combined with upwind gusts of up to 60 mph, could bring "life-threatening" upwind chill values arsenic debased arsenic -40 degrees to parts of the cardinal and northcentral U.S., the upwind work said.

"This level of acold tin beryllium beingness threatening and pb to frostbite connected exposed tegument successful arsenic small arsenic 10 minutes," it said.

Wind chill warnings and watches person been enactment successful spot crossed 17 states from Washington to Texas successful effect to the acold weather.

Snow is besides expected to adhd to "pre-holiday question headaches," from the cardinal Plains to the Midwest and the Great Lakes arsenic a large tempest begins to brew, the upwind work warned.

"Areas of airy to mean snowfall are apt on and down the acold beforehand arsenic it impacts cardinal Plains and Upper Mississippi Valley connected Wednesday and Thursday," it said.

In summation to the snowfall, beardown winds are besides expected to deed "nearly the full eastbound fractional of the U.S. arsenic this ample strategy becomes afloat mature by Thursday night," it said.

Heavy winds are expected to make blizzard conditions passim the cardinal and the northeastern Plains, the Upper Midwest and the Great Lakes. Meanwhile, debased visibility is expected to further imperil question conditions connected apical of snow-covered roadways.

The upwind work further warned of the anticipation of powerfulness outages from the Midwest to the Northeast.

"With specified a ample and almighty tempest strategy impacting a bulk of the federation during 1 of the biggest question weeks of the year, it is imperative that travelers cheque the latest forecast earlier venturing out," it warned.

Major airdrome hubs successful Chicago, Detroit, Cincinnati, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., New York and Boston are expected to beryllium impacted by the tempest with imaginable formation delays oregon cancellations. Severe turbulence could besides beryllium possible.