Wind chill in the single digits in Portland, Oregon
The National Weather Service’s Portland, Oregon, office says wind chill temperatures in the metro area are in the single digits this afternoon.
“Frost bite can occur within 30 minutes if you are not properly dressed,” it said on social media platform X.
It warned of multiple trees down in the area, and the Oregon Department of Transportation and the road services agency for Multnomah County, which includes Portland, both posted photos of massive trees or branches resting across roadways.
Winds as powerful as 45 mph were expected in northwest Oregon and along the state’s central coast, the weather service said. Gusts of 50 mph were possible in the Puget Sound, it said. Snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches were expected in the Cascade foothills, federal forecasters said.
Low visibility in Pocahontas, Iowa
Warm before the storm in North Texas
DALLAS — It was nice and sunny earlier, just long enough to squeeze in a walk or bring the plants in before the weather dips below freezing until Wednesday afternoon.
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport hit 63 degrees today, but temperatures have been dropping rapidly, plunging to 31 degrees as of 6 p.m.
Wintry precipitation is expected to begin tomorrow afternoon. Dallas-Fort Worth is expected to see mostly sleet and freezing rain through Monday morning, but up to half an inch of snow is likely northeast of the metro area.
Kansas City fans — and Taylor, too — bundle up to root on Chiefs
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The city ready to host one of the coldest games in NFL history is bundled up.
Many fans at Arrowhead Stadium for tonight's Kansas City Chiefs-Miami Dolphins playoff game spent part of the day doing a dress rehearsal.
They collected and tried on hats, blankets, base layers, battery-operated clothing and boots this afternoon so they would be as prepared as possible for the subzero temperature in the stands.
The Chiefs made some weather accommodations — allowing blankets, cardboard (to stand on) and portable chargers to power heated apparel; setting up warming stations; offering hot coffee and chocolate to designated drivers — but there is only so much you can do when the feels-like temperature is 24 below zero.
And though she'll likely be watching the game in a heated suite, the Chiefs' most recognizable fan came dressed in winter gear, too.
Taylor Swift, who is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, arrived in a coat featuring her beau's name and number. (But if she's in the elements for any amount of time, she's gonna want to zip it up!)
Travis Kelce is among a number of players who opted to wear only short sleeves for tonight's below-zero game.
Others included Dolphins star receiver Tyreek Hill and Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, who, despite adding a long sleeve under his jersey, rolled up one arm to expose his skin.
Miss Swift is watching the game from above in her normal suite at Arrowhead Stadium, but the windows are a bit icier than usual.
Cameras caught her peering through steamy glass with icicles hanging just before kickoff — but she looked plenty warm inside.
Seattle wind chill 'Cold enough to freeze your latte before you can Instagram it!'
As a new storm moved into the Pacific Northwest and California from the Pacific overnight, potent winds emerged and temperatures plunged to levels rarely experienced in this corner of the nation.
The National Weather Service office in Seattle forecast a wind chill temperature — the feels-like temperature when strong wind is included as a factor — of minus 34 in the Cascade mountains south of Mount Rainier.
"Cold enough to freeze your latte before you can Instagram it!" its account on social media platform X stated.
The White Pass resort 12 miles southeast of Mount Rainier National Park warned skiers and snowboarders to bring "multiple layers of face protectors" to fend off the cold blasts of wind, adding on Facebook, "This storm has been relentless."
Anything can be an ice rink
The weather in Vancouver, Canada, was cold enough to freeze water at a construction site, setting up a makeshift ice rink for one person.
A video shared on X by user Pucks on Net showed a man skating and practicing his hockey moves on the ice.
An arctic outflow warning is in effect for Vancouver through Sunday, with wind chill values near minus 20 for the metro area.
Portland officials investigating suspected hypothermia death
At least one person in Portland, Oregon, is believed to have died due to dangerously cold temperatures, officials said.
The person, who has not been identified, died today, the Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Program said in a news release. The medical examiner's office is investigating it as a suspected hypothermia death.
"Investigators say confirmation will not be complete for several weeks to months," the office said. "No other details are being released at this time."
More than 456K customers across U.S. without power
More than 456,000 customers across the U.S. are without power. As of 4 p.m., Michigan had the highest number of outages with 155,054, according to poweroutage.us.
Oregon was at 126,435 and Wisconsin at 71,184 customers who are living without power.
In Pennsylvania, nearly 30,000 customers were in the dark. New York, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and New Hampshire also had significant outages.
Travel ban issued in Erie County, New York
Travel in Western New York is expected to be “impossible and dangerous” once the storm hits, Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a news briefing today, urging residents to stay home.
In Erie County, a full travel ban for passenger vehicles is in effect beginning at 9 p.m. ET. The ban will be reassessed Sunday at 6 a.m., the governor’s office said.
“Forecasts predict the most dangerous winter storm conditions since the Christmas Blizzard of 2022,” Gov. Hochul said in a statement. “Working closely with County and City leaders, we are instituting a 9:00 p.m. travel ban that takes effect tonight to keep motorists safe.”
Commercial traffic is also banned on all state, county and local roads in Erie County and on the New York State Thruway. That ban will remain in effect indefinitely, according to the governor.
Thousands of flights canceled across U.S.
More than 1,100 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. were canceled Saturday, according to FlightAware.
Delays were even higher, totaling 3,564.
The Federal Aviation Administration urged travelers to check with their airline before heading to the airport.
"Storms throughout the U.S. continue to cause cancellations and delays tonight & tomorrow," the FAA said in a post on X.