A persistent weather pattern is pushing extremely cold air south out of the Arctic to cause temperatures to plunge in the Midwest early this week, making this winter one of the coldest on record in some locations. Starting Monday and lasting for a couple of days, the actual outdoor temps will range from low double digits to below zero with wind chills making it feel -30 to -40. The National Weather Service reported Sunday night that the Midwest will feel very cold on Monday and even colder that the most northern city in the country which is Barrow, Alaska where the temperature will be -4.
Over the weekend, people living in the greater Chicago area were preparing for a very cold Monday as the high will only be -4 or so. It could go as low as -17 in the city with wind chills making it feel like it’s -40. The bitter cold will hang over the Chicago area well into Tuesday. Due to the extreme cold, the University of Illinois at Chicago and Chicago Public Schools both have canceled classes for Monday.
The arctic cold temperatures in the Midwest are causing all types of problems ranging from ice jams on rivers to falling icicles. A woman was injured in Pennsylvania Sunday when she was hit in the head by a piece of ice that fell from the roof of a building. The blowing and drifting snow has caused numerous roadways to close down across the Midwest which has prompted the closure of schools in many areas including the state of Michigan. The drifting snow is so deep in the Mid-Michigan area that it caused a massive snow plow to become stuck on a rural roadway this weekend.
Many people are experiencing problems getting their vehicles to start due to the extreme cold. AAA of Michigan reminded people this weekend to check the condition of their batteries and to keep jumper cables in their vehicles in case they don’t start in this extreme weather. The insurance carrier is also reminding people to carry first aide kits, extra clothing, flashlights and sand or kitty litter.
Many homeowners in the Midwest have experienced problems with frozen pipes inside their homes this winter. People living in homes older than 10 years are having the most problems with frozen water pipes which burst when thawing out. This is because newer homes which were built in the past ten years have been constructed with water pipes made from high density polyethylene which is resistant to freezing.