Arctic Cold Wave Sweeps Across the U.S., Southernmost Impact Reaching North Florida | WPN World People News

A rare southward surge of Arctic air has hit the United States, bringing a compound winter storm combining blizzards, freezing rain, and extreme cold. The severe weather has caused at least 85 deaths due to hypothermia, traffic accidents, plane crashes, and other incidents. Large areas of the country are still experiencing temperatures below freezing. Ferry services on New York’s Hudson River have been suspended due to ice forming in the harbor.

The eastern half of the U.S. is set to face another wave of intense cold air. From Friday through Monday, temperatures are expected to plunge even further, with more than 200 single-day low-temperature records potentially being broken nationwide. The cold could extend as far south as Florida, with northern Florida possibly seeing temperatures drop to 0°C.

This extreme weather has caused serious damage across various regions. In Arkansas, the roof of a rodeo arena collapsed under the weight of heavy snow. Subzero temperatures have begun to disrupt water transportation in New York; due to widespread icing on the Hudson River and New York Harbor, all New York ferry services were suspended starting Tuesday afternoon. Mississippi, previously one of the hardest-hit states by power outages, still has more than 90,000 households without electricity. Severe weather continues to affect Interstate 55, leaving large numbers of trucks stranded and causing long lines at gas stations day after day. Meteorologists forecast that the bitter cold in the eastern U.S. will persist into February.