An intense Arctic cold wave has swept across the eastern United States, placing about 80 million people under weather alerts. According to ABC News, extreme cold warnings have been issued across most of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. The combination of frigid air and strong winds has driven wind chills far below freezing, with dangerous conditions reported from the Great Lakes to the Carolinas since early Saturday.
In coastal New England, snowfall has begun to ease, though an inverted trough caused heavy snow in some areas, with rates reaching up to 2.5 inches per hour. Temperatures across much of the Northeast have dropped into single digits, and wind chills are expected to remain below zero. Major cities such as New York, Boston, and Buffalo may experience wind chills near minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit, while parts of upstate New York and northern New England could see readings between minus 20 and minus 30 degrees Celsius.
The weather service indicated that conditions may gradually improve from Monday as winds weaken and temperatures begin to rise across the eastern region.