More frigid temperatures expected in much of US after a weekend of heavy snow

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Forecasters warned that unsafe extra-cold conditions volition persist into Monday greeting for a immense swath of the U.S. from the Gulf Coast into New England that was cleaning up aft a play weaponry cyclone brought dense snowfall and formation cancellations to North Carolina and flurries and falling iguanas successful Florida.

Temperatures volition statesman inching up passim the time but much misery was expected for thousands who were inactive without powerfulness from the crystal tempest past period successful the South.

About 150 cardinal radical were nether acold upwind advisories and utmost acold warnings Sunday successful the eastbound information of the U.S., with single-digit temperatures successful confederate states and the coldest aerial wide successful South Florida since December 1989, said Peter Mullinax, a National Weather Service meteorologist successful College Park, Maryland.

Heavy snowfall successful North Carolina

The National Weather Service bureau for Raleigh, North Carolina, warned that upwind chills volition driblet aboriginal Monday to adjacent zero Fahrenheit (-17 Celsius). “Snow and crystal volition linger, with refreezing contiguous making question hazardous,” the bureau said Sunday connected societal media. “Use caution connected roads and formal successful lukewarm layers.”

In eastbound North Carolina, James City recorded 18 inches (45 centimeters) of snow, portion Swansboro recorded 17 inches (43 centimeters), the upwind work reported.

The weaponry cyclone, known to meteorologists arsenic an intense, rapidly strengthening upwind system, contributed to astir a ft (30 centimeters) of snowfall successful and astir Charlotte, North Carolina’s largest city. The snowfall represented a top-five snowfall lawsuit each clip there, Mullinax said.

Flight cancellations exceeded 2,800 successful the U.S. connected Saturday, with astatine slightest different 1,800 connected Sunday, according to FlightAware, a formation tracking and information company. More than 800 of those Sunday cancellations were for flights departing from oregon arriving astatine Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

The tempest caused an hourslong messiness connected Interstate 85 northeast of the city, aft a clang near dozens of semitractors and different vehicles backed up into Saturday evening, according to the State Highway Patrol. More than 1,000 postulation collisions and 2 roadworthy deaths were reported, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said Sunday.

“It’s an awesome acold shot, for sure, and determination are regular records that are being seen down successful the South,” Mullinax said.

Freezing temperatures successful the Sunshine State

The Tampa-St. Petersburg country successful Florida saw snowfall flurries, portion temperatures dropped to the 20s successful the Panhandle and 30s successful South Florida connected Sunday. That near cold-stunned iguanas lying motionless connected the ground. Iguanas successful South Florida spell dormant successful the acold and though they usually aftermath erstwhile temperatures warm, the reptiles tin dice aft much than a time of utmost cold.

The acold besides near crystal connected strawberries and oranges successful the state. Farmers successful Florida sometimes spray h2o connected effect trees and berry plants to support them from the cold.

More than 110 deaths connected to the wintry upwind and storms person been reported astir the U.S. since precocious January. In Tennessee and Mississippi, 2 states struck by a erstwhile tempest carrying snowfall and ice, much than 81,000 customers were inactive without energy by Sunday evening, according to the outage tracking website poweroutage.us.

Nashville Electric Service said it expects 90% of its customers to person powerfulness restored Tuesday, with 99% getting energy backmost by adjacent Sunday, 2 weeks aft the earlier tempest hit. Gov. Bill Lee said helium shared “strong concerns” with enactment of the utility, which has defended its effect and said the tempest was unprecedented.

Mississippi officials said it was the state’s worst wintertime tempest since 1994. About 80 warming centers were opened and National Guard troops delivered supplies by motortruck and helicopter.

Jamita Washington, a nonmigratory of Vicksburg, Mississippi, said she mislaid powerfulness successful the erstwhile tempest and spent a 3 nights astatine a edifice with her lad earlier her energy was restored Thursday.

However, 1 of her 2 furnaces froze implicit and she has taken up sleeping connected the surviving country sofa since returning location to freezing temperatures astatine night.

“It's been frustrating, but I look astatine it similar this: There's radical successful a worse presumption than we are,” she said. “I cognize a fewer stateless people, truthful I conscionable look astatine it similar we're technically blessed.”

One location shook and different collapsed

In Kitty Hawk connected North Carolina’s Outer Banks, Susan Sawin said her location got a “whopping” magnitude of snowfall and beardown winds that reminded her of a nor’easter.

“It was blowing astir similar crazy,” said Sawin, 63. “It was a roaring upwind ... The location shook.”

She has a snowfall drift astir 2 feet (.6 meters) precocious extracurricular her house, but she did not suffer power. Sawin said she was thankful determination was capable informing from officials up of the “bomb cyclone.”

“That is what it felt like, with the upwind and driving snowfall past night,” she said. “That’s an close description.”

An proprietor of 3 publication stores, she closed her businesses implicit the play and plans to stay unopen Monday arsenic well.

“We seldom adjacent for a full day,” she said. “This past August, we had a hurricane brushwood by, and I deliberation we opened precocious 1 day. It’s beauteous antithetic to adjacent for 3 days successful a row.”

Also successful North Carolina, officials said an unoccupied beachfront location successful the Buxton assemblage connected Hatteras Island collapsed successful dense surf Sunday.

Mullinax said parts of the Carolinas are going to beryllium “digging out” for respective days arsenic they contend with gusty winds and bitterly acold upwind chills. Heading into Tuesday and Wednesday, airy snowfall could autumn successful the Ohio Valley and the mid-Atlantic, from Washington and perchance into New York City, helium said.

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Christopher Weber successful Los Angeles, Trân Nguyễn successful Sacramento, California, Julie Walker successful New York and different Associated Press reporters from astir the state contributed to this report.

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