Another round of snow and ice is predicted for most of Arkansas, according to a Tuesday report from AccuWeather. This next push of arctic air is expected to bring air that is just as cold, or even colder than the air that brought subzero lows to the Midwest and Northeast during the weekend.
Millions will shiver from Chicago to New York City as record lows are challenged during this bitter blast. Records may also fall across parts of the South where temperatures manage to fall into the teens and single digits.
Such cold will be dangerous to those who lose power during the recent ice storm. As of Tuesday morning, a couple of hundred thousand customers were still without power in the South.
The worst of the cold is expected to focus on the Midwest on Wednesday before shifting east over the East for Thursday into Friday. A period of snow or snow showers will accompany the arrival of the harsh cold from Arkansas, through Tennessee and North Carolina, northward to New England with slippery travel. The system could drop a few inches of snow on the central Appalachians.
Temperatures can be very dangerous, and possibly even life threatening during this arctic outbreak. Anyone planning on venturing outside should wear extra layers, hats and gloves to help stay protected from the cold. Fortunately, winds should not be as strong as they were during the cold spell over the weekend, making it feel not quite as cold.
Throughout the Midwest, Northeast and into the South, insufficiently protected plumbing could freeze. Some heat-pump furnaces could struggle to keep up with the severe cold. Anyone who has animals that live in the outdoors should also take the proper precautions to keep their pets stay safe.
As a preventative measure for freezing pipes, people can leave the tap drip slowly. Keep cabinet doors open in cold rooms where plumbing passes through.
Pet owners should bring their animals indoors and make sure that they have proper bedding when temperatures dip below the 20-degree mark, as well as ensuring that they have water that is not frozen.