One final day of a true Arctic airmass will be found over the East, Great Lakes and Northern Plains today. Frigid temperatures will continue to make it dangerous to be outside for any extended time without proper precautions.
A strong area of Canadian high pressure will finally drift over the Atlantic today. This will let today be the last day where a frigid airmass has its grips over the area.
Cold Weather Advisories and even a few Extreme Cold Warnings are currently in effect from much of New Mexico, the Deep South, the Gulf Coast, northern and central Florida, much of the Carolinas and parts of the Mid-Atlantic.
Some cities currently in these cold advisories and warnings include Jacksonville, Fla., New Orleans and Baton Rouge, La., Montgomery, Ala., Columbia, S.C, and Charlotte, NC.
High temperatures today will only be in the single digits and teens in the Upper Midwest and 20s across the lower Great Lakes. The rest of the Northeast, Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic will continue to be under the influence of Arctic high pressure, with chilly temperatures despite plenty of sunshine. Highs will only reach the teens and 20s across New England, with a few readings in the upper 20s and 30s popping up in the Mid-Atlantic. Further south, temperatures will only be in the 40s and 50s for much of the Deep South and Gulf of Mexico coast while the Tennessee Valley and the Carolinas remain well below normal in the 30s.
Even though the Canadian area of high pressure is finally losing its icy grip on the East tonight, a large area of snowpack and generally light winds will keep temperatures dangerously cold. Morning lows will dip into the single digits below zero to single digits above zero in New England, Northern Plains and western Great Lakes with single digits and teens common in New York and Pennsylvania. 20s will be found in the Mid-Atlantic southward to the Deep South, the Carolinas and Gulf Coast regions as well as interior Texas and the Southern Plains.
Cold temperatures and wind chills to the levels can lead to frostbite in as little as 10 to 20 minutes, particularly on exposed skin. Try to limit outdoor activity during this cold snap, check on the elderly and pets, and others who might not have access to warming centers.