Winter storm spawns frigid wind chill, snow emergencies: live updates - USA TODAY

Arctic aerial from a wintertime tempest system engulfed overmuch of the East Coast connected Friday, causing powerfulness outages and snarling vacation question with dense snow, blizzard conditions and dangerously acold temperatures.

It's the the aforesaid strategy that already has been blamed for 3 deaths and has produced temperatures truthful acold that a Montana National Weather Service office said 1 of its thermometers stopped working. The Elk Park, Montana, somesthesia sensor deed its lowest temperature: minus 50 degrees, the upwind work bureau said Thursday.

Cities crossed the South, including Nashville, recorded temperatures arsenic debased arsenic minus 1 degree early Friday — the lowest Music City has seen successful astir 27 years. 

More than 181 million people, much than fractional the nation's population, look unsafe upwind chills in the days starring up to Christmas, according to Thursday night weather work information that tracks upwind chill warnings and advisories. 

What defines a blizzard? Heavy snowfall and precocious winds expected to expanse crossed country.

Dozens of states reported significant, record-breaking temperature plunges with immoderate areas plummeting 50 degrees. Huge swaths of the federation connected Friday felt minimum upwind chill temperatures successful the antagonistic treble digits and volition proceed to spot them successful the coming days, according to the upwind service.

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HOLIDAY TRAVEL: Over 2,200 US flights canceled amid storm

“This is not similar a snowfall time erstwhile you were a kid,” said President Joe Biden aft a briefing from national officials Thursday. “This is superior stuff.” 

A weaponry cyclone developed Friday adjacent the Great Lakes, which is expected to worsen blizzard conditions. 

Storm intensifies into weaponry cyclone

The storm, besides pummeling parts of Canada, intensified connected Friday into a weaponry cyclone, the National Weather Service, reported. The bureau said the atmospheric unit of the tempest dropped rapidly capable implicit the past 24 hours to classify the strategy that way.

John Moore, a NWS meteorologist, said the cardinal unit of the strategy has fallen rapidly and is expected to proceed dropping implicit the adjacent fewer hours.

Bomb cyclones are aggravated wintertime storms with precocious winds, dense blizzards and sub-zero temperatures created through a process known as bombogenesis.

Meanwhile, blizzard warnings are successful effect successful the Great Lakes area, wherever snowfall is expected to harvester with almighty winds to make whiteout conditions.

More than 3,600 flights canceled

Following precocious numbers connected Thursday, more than 3,600 U.S. flights were canceled and implicit 2,400 more were delayed Friday arsenic of 10:15 a.m. ET, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware. 

About 40% of each flights retired of both Seattle-Tacoma International and Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airports person been canceled truthful far. Southwest Airlines' docket has been affected the most, with astir 800 flights taken disconnected the docket for the day.

Airlines person issued waivers successful overmuch of the Midwest, Northeast and adjacent parts of the South for immoderate carriers. 

By the numbers

Nationwide, 181 cardinal Americans were nether upwind chill warnings oregon advisories Friday.

Meanwhile:

• More than 11 cardinal radical were nether blizzard warnings
• 58 cardinal radical faced wintertime tempest warnings
• And much than 500,000 radical were nether crystal tempest warnings.

Bomb cyclones are almighty wintertime storms: Here's a ocular breakdown of however they're created.

Music City sees lowest temp successful 27 years

The somesthesia astatine the Nashville International Airport dropped to minus 1 Friday morning, marking the archetypal clip successful much than 25 years the metropolis had seen temperatures that low.

By 6 a.m. section time, the upwind chill registered minus 19 degrees.

"This is the archetypal clip we've been beneath zero since 2/5/1996 (when it dropped to minus 3 degrees). However, the grounds debased for this day is -8°F (1989)," the NWS successful Nashville tweeted.

Meanwhile, much than 25,000 Nashville Electric Company customers were without powerfulness arsenic of astir 10:30 a.m.

"Crews are doing everything they tin to reconstruct power," the institution tweeted. "They person been moving astir the clock.

Chicagoans unreserved to hole for snow

Kevin Doom, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service successful Chicago, said the country didn’t get a ton of snowfall overnight — possibly 1 to 3 inches.

“We didn't get a full batch of snowfall but the upwind combined with the snow, that's truly the concern,” helium told USA TODAY. “And that continues connected into today, adjacent though we're not truly expecting overmuch further snowfall.”

The upwind work is besides seeing upwind gusts adjacent to 50 miles per hour, truthful what small snowfall did autumn yesterday is getting “blown astir truly easily,” Doom said.

Numerous Texas powerfulness outages reported 

In Texas, more than 77,000 people were without powerfulness Friday morning.

CenterPoint Energy reported the astir outages crossed the state. As of 6:45 a.m. CT, much than 21,000 customers were successful the dark. 

The vigor institution said it would enactment to restore work arsenic soon arsenic possible.

Just implicit 20,000 Oncor customers were impacted by the blast, a bulk of them successful Dallas. The powerfulness company wrote connected its website that thousands of electrical facilities, including stations and main feeder lines, underwent thorough aerial and crushed inspections Thursday to hole for precocious request and acold temperatures.

“Our crews are acceptable to respond and volition enactment astir the timepiece to get the lights backmost connected arsenic rapidly and safely arsenic imaginable – adjacent connected holidays,” the powerfulness institution wrote.

Neighbors assistance each other in Iowa

In Iowa, the National Weather Service predicted tempest upwind Thursday nighttime and Friday volition intensify, with an "explosive deepening" of the storm's low-pressure strategy Friday night.

Far from the storm's disruptions to airports, highways and metropolis bustle, beingness went connected beauteous overmuch arsenic accustomed contempt the acold and snowfall successful the agrarian occidental Iowa municipality of Soldier, wherever it’s emblematic for neighbors to assistance each different retired amid wintertime storms.

That means residents moving from location to house, clearing driveways and sidewalks aft a large storm, putting unneurotic religion potlucks and making definite those who request a travel to the doc person rides.

— The Des Moines Register

How are officials responding to terrible upwind conditions?

Governors successful astatine slightest 12 states person declared exigency measures and different acold upwind efforts successful effect to the tempest and its hazardous conditions.

• Colorado: On Tuesday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis activated implicit 100 authorities National Guard members to help assist with "extreme acold upwind operations" crossed the state, according to a quality release. 

• Connecticut: Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont activated the state's terrible acold upwind protocol successful effect to imaginable below-zero upwind chills for Friday to Monday, according to a quality release. Lamont besides activated the state's exigency operations halfway successful anticipation of the rainfall tempest implicit the vacation weekend. 

• Georgia: On Wednesday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a authorities of exigency and warned the public to hole for freezing weather, according to a quality release. 

• Kentucky: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a authorities of exigency Wednesday ahead of the arctic beforehand that was forecast to bring a flash frost and highly acold temperatures crossed the state, according to a quality release.

• Maryland: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday that the authorities activated its exigency effect operations successful mentation of the wintertime storm, according to a quality release. 

• Missouri: Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed an enforcement order Tuesday to activate the state's exigency operations program against the utmost cold. According to a quality release, the declaration volition “ensure authorities resources are disposable and National Guard members are connected standby for immoderate needed effect efforts crossed the state." 

• North Carolina: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed a state of emergency Tuesday to activate the state’s exigency operations. “We cognize that with the highly debased temperatures North Carolinians volition request propane and different heating substance to support their families warm," Cooper said successful a statement. 

• New York: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a authorities of exigency Thursday up of the wintertime storm. "Heavy rainfall and snow, beardown winds, coastal and lakeshore flooding and flash freezing are each imaginable successful assorted regions crossed the authorities passim the vacation weekend," a quality merchandise from Hochul's bureau states. 

• Oklahoma: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt declared a authorities of emergency Wednesday for each 77 counties up of the tempest which temporarily suspends requirements for size and weights permits of oversized vehicles transporting materials and supplies utilized for exigency alleviation and powerfulness restoration, according to a quality release. 

• West Virginia: West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice declared a authorities of preparedness for each 55 counties successful the authorities and declared Friday arsenic a full-holiday for nationalist employees up of the storm, according to a quality release. 

• Wisconsin: Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed an enforcement bid declaring an vigor exigency successful the authorities owed to weather. "Due to the below-average temperatures, accumulating and blowing snowfall passim the state, deliveries of liquid fuels for location heating shipped by truck, barge, and peculiarly rail, are limited," a quality merchandise from Evers' bureau states. 

What is upwind chill?

Meteorologists specify upwind chill arsenic however acold it feels portion outdoors, and it’s based connected the complaint of vigor nonaccomplishment from exposed tegument caused by the wind-and-cold combination, according to the National Weather Service. Increased upwind draws vigor from the body, which past lowers the somesthesia of the tegument and interior body.

“Frostbite whitethorn make connected exposed tegument successful arsenic fewer arsenic 10-20 mins, and hypothermia tin rapidly make if you're not dressed for the cold,” upwind work experts successful Chicago warned Thursday.

Contributing: Saleen Martin, USA TODAY; The Associated Press