Large swaths of nation gripped in wind-driven cold

Snow followed by a wave of frigid air is plodding eastward, bringing warnings well ahead of time for people to take precautions and stay warm. The storm snarled traffic across much of the country and is threatening to bring wind chills into the single digits even to the Deep South over the next few days.

Just this past weekend, Ohio residents walked around in light jackets, enjoying temperatures in the 50s. Now, they and their neighbors across the Great Lakes are bundling up as frigid air follows several inches of snow. Actual air temperatures in Ohio are expected to follow the example of Monday’s single-digit wind chills – a calculation of how cold the air feels to exposed skin when wind is factored in – later in the week.

Illinois has it even worse. Wind chills as low as minus 30 are forecast to move in behind the storm, which dropped as much as 6 inches of snow on parts of the state. It was still snowing in parts of northeast Ohio along Lake Erie, where as much as 20 inches could drop by tonight.

The snow snarled travel throughout the region Monday and Tuesday. More than 130 flights in and out of Chicago’s two airports were canceled. Many school districts delayed or canceled classes Tuesday. Brutal cold and dangerous wind chills prompted dozens of districts in Illinois, including Chicago Public Schools, to pre-emptively cancel today’s classes. School delays and traffic accidents plagued part of Indiana on Tuesday. Traffic crashes in Michigan killed at least five people.

The cold put wheat crops in danger in parts of Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Kansas. The few inches of snow that fell in the Dakotas caused crashes and closed dozens of schools. More snow and colder-than-expected weather surprised officials and residents in and around the nation’s capital, leading to frustrating commutes, air cancellations and apologies from school districts that had decided – unwisely – to remain open.

A couple of inches of snow that hit just before Tuesday’s rush hour created difficulties for school buses. Maryland reported dozens of accidents, including one that left a 17-year-old girl in critical condition. More than two dozen flights were canceled at Reagan National Airport.

The coldest weather in about a year is expected to reach deep into Georgia by early Thursday. In metro Atlanta, which was brought to a standstill last winter by a few inches of snow, wind chills below 5 degrees are expected (but no snow is forecast). Even in Cordele in south Georgia, the wind chill could hit 8 degrees. Atlanta officials say they’ll open an emergency warming center that can hold 100 people. In north Alabama, gusty winds could make temperatures in the single digits feel like it’s below zero.

Ahead of temperatures expected to drop to 9 degrees tonight, with a wind chill as low as minus 15, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is reminding residents to keep an eye out for those who might be at risk and also asked service providers to check on their clients. Next door in New Jersey, wind chills as low as 20 below are expected into Thursday morning.

In New Hampshire, with wind chills forecast to dip below minus 30 today into Thursday, emergency authorities told people they should stay indoors as much as possible.

The Aloha State is recovering from some record-setting … we’ll call it “cold.”

A low temperature of 57 degrees was reported Monday morning at Honolulu Airport, breaking the previous record of 58 for that date, set in 1893.