The arctic blast rocking the country is expected to reach its highest intensity on Friday, producing what the National Weather Service (NWS) is describing as “widespread disruptions” heading into the holiday weekend as over half the U.S. population finds itself under a winter storm warning, watch, or advisory.
The blizzard, dubbed Winter Storm Elliott, has triggered dramatic temperature drops across the U.S., with some cities seeing temperatures plummet 40 degrees in less than an hour, smashing records.
According to the NWS, more than 200 million individuals across the U.S. — well over half the U.S. population — are under some type of winter advisory moving into the holiday weekend:
Over 200 million people, or roughly 60% of the U.S. population, are under some form of winter weather warnings or advisories across the U.S https://t.co/A3RX3bOdWJ
— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) December 23, 2022
The storm is continuing to sweep east on Friday, as temperatures will drop to well below freezing as south as Florida. Portions of northeast Florida, for example, are expected to see lows dropping into the low 20s. Hard freeze watches and warnings are in effect in several Sunshine State counties:
FLORIDA FREEZE The cold moves in for Friday and you’ll feel every bit of it by Saturday, Christmas Eve Morning. Freeze Warnings and Watches are currently up across the state. I have details tonight on @WINKNews. pic.twitter.com/s0Ak12XqsR
— Matt Devitt (@MattDevittWINK) December 23, 2022
*** Florida Freeze on the way *** pic.twitter.com/F8kfHKHiBF
— Brian Shields, WFTV (@BrianWFTV) December 22, 2022
According to the NWS Friday morning update:
Significant freezing rain possible across the Pacific Northwest… An immense winter storm that has brought a frigid blast to much of the CONUS along with impactful winter precipitation will persist in tracking across the eastern U.S. today. Winter weather hazards remain in effect from the Canadian border south to the Rio Grande, Gulf Coast and central Florida Peninsula while spanning from the Pacific Northwest to the Eastern Seaboard. The National Weather Service’s Watch Warning depicts one of the greatest extents of winter weather warnings and advisories ever. As of early Friday morning, over 240 million of [sic] people within the United States are under some form of winter weather warning or advisory.
Further, NWS warns that 181 million in the U.S. are under wind chill warnings or advisories as well. Updates from Thursday warned of subzero temperatures, with wind chills dropping as low as minus 40 degrees in some areas of the country, as others saw temperatures quickly cratering.
Denver, Colorado, for instance, experienced a roughly 68 degree drop in less than one day, with the temperature dropping 37 degrees in the span of one hour alone.
NWS adds that 11 million are under a blizzard warning, 58 million are under a winter storm warning, and half a million are under ice storm warnings days ahead of Christmas.
According to 10:25 a.m. data from FlightAware, there have been over 3,600 flight cancellations within, into, or out of the U.S. Friday alone and over 2,600 more delays.
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