Arctic Cold Wave Warns 80 Million Americans

ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH/Raman Shaunia

JAKARTA - Nearly 80 million people along the East Coast of the United States are on alert status due to the Arctic cold wave that hit the region this weekend, with Sunday morning expected to be the coldest period of the season.

Extreme cold warnings are in effect for most of the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic. Extremely cold air coupled with high winds is causing temperatures to feel well below freezing, ABC News reported Saturday.

As reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Monday, February 9, cold temperatures due to winds reached a dangerous level since Saturday morning from the Great Lakes region to Carolina. This condition is expected to continue until the weekend, increasing the risk of exposure to extreme temperatures for residents.

Snow began to ease on the New England coast after a weather system produced heavy snowfall at a number of locations, with an intensity of about 2.5 inches per hour on some routes.

Most of the Northeast recorded temperatures below minus 10 degrees Celsius, with strong winds that made the temperature feel down to below zero in almost all areas.

Major cities such as New York, Boston, and Buffalo are expected to experience temperatures that feel cold due to winds of up to minus 10 degrees Celsius. This condition can cause frostbite on exposed skin in about 30 minutes.

In the northern part of New York State and northern New England, cold temperatures due to winds can even reach between minus 20 to minus 30 degrees Celsius.

Weather conditions are expected to begin to improve on Monday as winds weaken and a gradual warming trend is predicted to develop in the eastern US next week.