Millions of Americans across the U.S. woke up to freezing temperatures on Wednesday morning thanks to a bitter blast of arctic air that made its way across the country this week.
Unfortunately, temperatures aren’t expected to rebound too much during the day, and there will be another dramatic drop in temperatures overnight into Thursday.
The central and northern Plains have been dealing with the frigid air for several days now, and as a cold front pushes south and east, temperatures behind it will tumble.
As a result, Freeze Warnings and Freeze Watches were issued for more than 88 million Americans on Wednesday morning.
Many freeze warnings will expire later on Wednesday morning as temperatures begin to rise. However, millions of people along the Interstate 95 corridor from the Northeast to the Southeast will be under renewed various Freeze Warnings and Watches through Thursday morning.
As the arctic blast tightens its grip on the eastern half of the U.S., records are in jeopardy of falling as temperatures dip into the 20s and 30s for a majority of locations.
On Wednesday, records were challenged in places like Topeka, Kansas and Springfield, Missouri, with temperatures falling well below freezing.
Kansas City, too, felt the chill with a morning temperature of 25 degrees.
The cold air shifts farther to the east on Thursday morning, where cities like Philadelphia could see a record-breaking morning. The forecast low temperature tomorrow morning is right at the freezing mark.
Kids heading to the bus stop on Thursday morning from the Great Lakes to the Northeast and mid-Atlantic need to grab that heavy jacket before heading out to catch the bus. You should also think about turning on those seat warmers in your car if you’re braving traffic during the morning commute.
Chicago, Indianapolis, Washington and Boston are all expected to be at or near freezing Thursday morning.
There will be a slight warmup during the day. The Windy City could get up into the mid-40s on Thursday afternoon, and Indianapolis could see temperatures a few degrees warming and get into the upper 40s. Boston will hover in the mid-40s during the day on Thursday.
It’s going to be a cold morning across the Southeast, too, which is also included in Freeze Warnings.
Temperatures will be at or below freezing in cities like Memphis, Atlanta and Dallas. Temperatures will rebound a bit more than what will be felt in the Northeast.
Dallas, Memphis and Atlanta should all get into the mid-50s on Thursday afternoon.