(CNN) — Dangerously cold conditions will impact millions of Americans and set the stage for widespread disruptions from a winter storm.
Arctic air is interacting with a strengthening storm system to bring hazardous winter weather to the Central US that will eventually reach the mid-Atlantic coast. The bitter cold and snow will also complicate recovery efforts in parts of Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, where communities are still reeling from a deadly flooding caused by a storm over the weekend.
At least 15 people have died from this weekend’s storm, including two in West Virginia and 12 in Kentucky. One person remained missing in the storm’s aftermath in West Virginia Tuesday morning, according to Gov. Patrick Morrisey.
Two others appeared to have died from hypothermia in Kentucky’s Jefferson County, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at a Tuesday morning news conference.
“That should tell all of us the weather conditions are as dangerous as that water is,” Beshear said, referring to the ongoing brutal cold and snow coming to the state.
The cold air will get more intense and expansive throughout the week and about three-quarters of the US population is expected to experience below-freezing conditions by Friday. Temperatures will plunge as much as 50 degrees below February averages, threatening to break more than 270 temperature records across at least 27 states.
Snow headed for flooded areas
February has been an incredibly active month for disruptive and deadly winter storms in the US and the pattern isn’t over yet.
A new winter storm will dump 3 to 6 inches of snow over much of flooded Kentucky and more than 6 inches in parts of West Virginia and complicate the post-storm cleanup process.
Crews in Kentucky and West Virginia were racing against the clock to complete flood rescues ahead of the dangerous wintry weather. Since the flooding began, emergency crews from the Kentucky National Guard and Kentucky State Police have conducted more than 1,000 rescues, Beshear said. At least 60 rescues had taken place across southern West Virginia which was hardest-hit by the flooding, West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Tuesday.
There was hope water rescues would ebb today in Kentucky and allow crews to reset and prepare for winter weather, Eric Gibson, director of the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management, said Tuesday.
“The Kentucky National Guard is transitioning from life-saving missions to recovery efforts focused on debris removal, restoring access and transporting supplies to affected communities,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in press conference Tuesday.
Power restoration efforts are continuing in the state and just over 4,000 customers remain without power, according to Poweroutage.us. Still, some people with power but damaged equipment might not have safe access to heat, Beshear said Tuesday.
“If you cannot safely power your home by the middle of today, you need to be looking at a shelter option,” Beshear urged. “You need to make sure you’re safe.”
Wind chills will reach the single digits in most of Kentucky Wednesday morning and air temperatures will be stuck below freezing through Friday in most areas.
Life-threatening cold expands while new storm strengthens
The coldest air of winter started to work its way into the northern US early this week and will expand rapidly in the coming days.
Wind chill temperatures reached a life-threatening nearly 60 degrees below zero in parts of Montana and North Dakota Tuesday morning. Tuesday was the coldest it’s been in Bismarck, North Dakota, in more than 16 years. Below zero wind chills extended as far south as Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle.
Overall, more than 60 million people are under cold weather alerts spanning the Plains, Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast.
Snow was falling in parts of the central US Tuesday as a new winter storm strengthened. It will bury an area from Kansas and Oklahoma to the central Appalachians and mid-Atlantic in heavy snow and deliver dangerous ice to areas just south.
Snow and ice caused significant travel issues by Tuesday afternoon in parts of Oklahoma. Interstate 44 was shut down in both directions in the northeast part of the state and into far western Missouri.
States of emergency were in effect for three states due to the storm: Arkansas, North Carolina and Virginia.
Parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas could record more than a foot of snow Tuesday into Wednesday, including Springfield, Missouri, which would be its most snow in nearly 20 years. Major impacts from the storm are expected in this region, including dangerous to impossible driving conditions, according to NOAA’s Winter Storm Severity Index.
Memphis, Tennessee, could record 1 to 3 inches of snow and sleet, and also some ice, while Nashville could record up to 3 inches of mainly snow. Flood alerts are still in place for area rivers, including the Mississippi and Cumberland.
Snow will also fall in Virginia where flood alerts remain active for the James River. It will be heaviest closest to the Atlantic coast. Virginia Beach is forecast to receive 10 inches of snow, which would be its most since 1980.
Dangerous cold will expand over the country while the winter storm tracks east through midweek.
Dallas saw a high of 56 degrees Monday and could see its high temperatures drop below freezing by midweek. Houston will see one more day with a high above 60 degrees on Tuesday before seeing their high drop below 50 on Wednesday. Memphis, Nashville and Atlanta are also bracing for frigid conditions, with Atlanta forecast to reach only the mid-30s by Thursday, about 20 degrees below average.
Wind chills will make the cold even more dangerous. In the Northern Plains, wind chills are expected to range from 30 to 60 degrees below zero, creating risks of frostbite within minutes of exposure.
Gusty winds will push wind chills below zero as far south as Texas and Arkansas by midweek, while single-digit wind chills are expected in parts of Tennessee and Kentucky toward the end of the week.
CNN Meteorologist Brandon Miller and CNN’s Rebekah Riess, Amanda Musa and Lauren Mascarenhas contributed to this report.
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