Southern U.S. Faces ‘Once-in-a-Generation’ Winter Storm 

United States: A big winter storm which already hit the southern U.S. this week, bringing snow, ice, and strong winds. The storm which caused power outages, downed trees, and even threatened freezing temperatures in Florida. 

People in places like Dallas had to pull out their winter clothes, like hats and gloves, because it was so cold. The storm affected areas that don’t usually get such harsh winter weather. 

According to the National Weather Service, wind chill temperatures could plunge down to teens to the low 20s or as low as -10.5C early Tuesday from Texas to the Gulf Coast. A low-pressure system is then expected to develop perhaps as early as Wednesday just near south Texas, possible snow to areas of the state including Dallas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. 

As reported by the Associate Press, the polar vortex that extended its stay in much of the country east of the Rockies through the weekend remains in charge Monday, making roads in many areas icy or snowy, schools closed, power outages increasing, and flights cancelled. 

As temperatures dropped and frozen precipitation coated highways in Kansas, due west Nebraska and part of Indiana the National Guard was called out for drivers stuck in the snow.  

The National Weather Service declared winter storm warnings in Kansas and Missouri where blizzard caused winds up to 45 mph (72 kph). These warnings were in place until early Tuesday morning for New Jersey. 

A trucking lot full of large commercial vehicles in Kentucky was crowded on Monday night as truck drivers were barred from the Icy and snow packed interstate 75 north of Cincinnati.  

Michael Taylor, a long-haul driver from Los Angeles, who said he was taking a load of rugs from Georgia and saw many cars and trucks that were stuck into ditches and his windshield wipers were iced before he got off the interstates. 

It was too dangerous. I wasn’t suicidal, wanted to kill myself or anyone else,” he said. 

The polar vortex refers to a cyclonic storm of ultra-cold air that orbits the North Pole but sometimes dips towards the United States, Europe and Asia. Scientists have established that Arctic warming at a alarmingly higher rate is in part responsible for penetration of the polar vortex.