Polar Vortex #3 Hits Florida Snow Could fall as far south as Florida

A blast of frigid air will grip most of the eastern half of the United States into midweek.

The impending polar plunge will rival the frigid days from earlier this January for the coldest daytime highs and nighttime lows so far this winter in parts of the Midwest and interior Northeast.

The arctic air first plunged into the Upper Midwest, northern Plains and northern Rockies on Sunday and continued to press to the Gulf and Atlantic coasts on Tuesday.

The magnitude of this cold blast will be enough to produce a far-reaching threat of frostbite, hypothermia, frozen pipes and water main breaks.

Care should also be taken to ensure that livestock and other animals housed outdoors have adequate shelter.
Especially across the Midwest and Northeast, officials may decide to cancel or delay school due to the extreme cold. Some vehicles may struggle or fail to start.

While highs will be held to the 30s southward to the I-10 corridor, the Midwest and Northeast will experience the harshest conditions.

Temperatures plunged below zero Tuesday morning from central Montana to northern Maine, southward to eastern Colorado, areas along the Ohio River and into the mountains of Pennsylvania, western Maryland and West Virginia.

Across much of the Midwest and the interior Northeast, high temperatures will be held to the single digits and teens on Tuesday with some areas over the northern tier states remaining below zero.


Temperatures are forecast to rebound over portions of the northern Plains and the Midwest on Wednesday, but they will remain at frigid levels in much of the Northeast and the interior South.

Snow is in the forecast for parts of the Florida Panhandle, but freezing rain is likely to be a bigger threat over a larger area of the state Tuesday afternoon. The Storm should move in to Florida later Tuesday, bringing freezing rain and — for some — snow. That's unusual for Florida. The worsening weather will be dangerous for driving, and accumulating ice could cause power lines to snap. People living south of I-10 may see snow flurries, but accumulation is unlikely.

Escambia County will be in a state of emergency from midnight Tuesday until midnight Wednesday. Schools there will close and non-essential employees will not report to work. Schools will also be closed in Santa Rosa County and Okaloosa County Tuesday and Wednesday. The University of West Florida and Pensacola State College will also be closed Tuesday as well as NASA's Johnson Space Center