A perilous Arctic blast continued its sweep across the U.S. on Monday, bringing sub-freezing temperatures to over three-quarters of the country and resulting in at least four fatalities. Among the victims was a woman in Oregon who lost her life when a tree fell onto her RV.
The frigid conditions were anticipated to establish record-low temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, encompassing a significant portion of the nation from Oregon to Mississippi—approximately 79% of the country. This Arctic blast posed threats to an NFL playoff game and the Iowa caucuses.
Over the weekend, relentless winds and a mixture of snow and ice caused the collapse of around 100 trees in a community south of Portland, Oregon. Tragically, one of these trees fell onto an RV, triggering a fire that claimed the life of a woman in her 30s. In another incident, a man in Oregon lost his life when a tree fell on his home, and two individuals died from suspected hypothermia.
The National Weather Service issued warnings of brutal wind chills, with temperatures expected to plummet 30 degrees below zero from the Northern Rockies to northern Kansas and into Iowa, where the first-in-the-nation presidential nominating contest was taking place on Monday. Despite facing wind chills in the negative 30s, voters were urged to participate.
Former President Donald Trump encouraged supporters during a campaign stop on Sunday, stating, “You can’t sit home. If you’re sick as a dog, you say, ‘Darling, I gotta make it.’ Even if you vote and then pass away, it’s worth it.”
Arctic storms left tens of thousands without power in the Northwest, covered large areas of the South in snow, and impacted the Northeast with blizzard conditions and snow squalls. Consequently, the Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Buffalo Bills NFL playoff game scheduled in frigid Buffalo, New York, was postponed.
