Arctic blast grips parts of U.S. with well-below zero temperatures

A bitter cold is sweeping across parts of the U.S. as Arctic air pushes south from Canada. The record-low temperatures are expected to last through at least midweek, impacting an NFL playoff game, as well as the first Republican presidential primary event, the Iowa Caucuses.

The National Weather Service predicts that temperatures may reach 30 degrees below zero from the Rocky Mountains into Iowa and northern Kansas on Monday, Jan. 15.

The Arctic storms have proven deadly, as ABC News reported four people were killed, and thousands were left without electricity in the Northwest. A toppled tree fell on a house in Oregon killing one man. Two others died of possible hypothermia, and a fire that spread from a stove after a tree fell on a house killed a fourth person. Officials in Portland estimate around 100 trees were toppled during the storm.

The winter storm system also brought snowfall to the South and pounded the Northeast. In Buffalo blizzard conditions forced the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Buffalo Bills NFL playoff game to be moved to Monday, Jan. 15, at 4:30 p.m. ET. Buffalo Bills fans helped dig out snow from a buried Highmark Stadium over the weekend. The fans were rewarded for their hard work being paid $20 an hour.

Logan Eschrich, a storm chaser who was in Buffalo, who helped dig the stadium out told ABC News, “We made progress shoveling, but not much at all.”

The Buffalo Bills are asking for fans’ help shoveling snow ahead of Sunday's playoff game.

The team wants anyone interested to meet at the stadium at 10 p.m. on Saturday night.

• $20 per hour
• Complimentary food
• Snow shovel provided
• Must be 18 or older pic.twitter.com/Sjud0Mf1Kr

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 12, 2024

The game still could be in jeopardy; The National Weather Service is predicting heavy lake-effect snow to arrive in New York from Lake Erie, adding to the one to two feet of snow already covering parts of Upstate New York. New York isn’t the only state feeling the wrath of Winter; in Montana and the Dakotas, sub-zero wind chills as low as 50 degrees below zero are expected.

As temperatures continue to plummet, officials are urging customers to limit electricity use. From Texas to Nebraska, power utilities are asking customers to voluntarily conserve energy. In Nebraska, Omaha Public Power District appealed to customers to lower thermostat temperatures and reduce appliance usage to prevent “controlled outages.”

Passengers taking to the “friendly skies” also felt the impact of Winter storms. Airports across the country experienced delays and cancellations.

As more severe weather is expected on Monday Jan. 15 and Tuesday, Jan. 16, it remains to be seen if the grips of Winter will go away anytime soon. It’s not just snow that’s the problem; The Sunshine State is expecting rain and thunderstorms. Meanwhile, forecasters said freezing rain is likely in parts of the Appalachian Mountains.