NEW YORK: Millions of Americans awakened on Tuesday to snow, freezing rain, and chilly temperatures as an Arctic blast swept over the country, bringing an end to New York City’s almost two-year “snow drought” and plunging parts of the West into a deep freeze. The Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, and Midwest were forecast to see record-breaking cold, with wind chills below minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 34 degrees Celsius) reaching the mid-Mississippi Valley in the morning. On Tuesday morning, the lowest temperature in the US was -36 F (-38 C) in Briggsdale, Colorado, a small town with a population of 134. “That’s crazy,” Katie Sizemore, a barista at the Blue Mug Coffee Bar in Greeley, Colorado, exclaimed when she learned she was near the coldest place in America. Greeley, approximately 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Briggsdale, was about 13 degrees warmer than its northern neighbor, but Sizemore said residents were ready for the cold by dressing in extra layers and putting up the heaters. “We don’t go outside for very long,” she remarked. Residents of New York City, which had not gotten more than an inch (2.5 cm) of snow in nearly two years, awoke to a winter wonderland outside their windows. As of Tuesday morning, Manhattan’s Central Park had 1.4 inches (3.6 cm) of snow, bringing an end to a “snow drought” of 701 days with only a little dusting. “The streak has ended!” the National Weather Service’s New York office announced on Facebook, causing followers to respond to what most perceived as a pleasant surprise. Overnight, Washington, D.C. was painted white with 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 cm) of powder, while Baltimore and Philadelphia received 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm). The meteorological service predicted an additional 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) of snow across New England, stretching into New York state, before a brief midweek respite from the freezing temperatures. Buffalo, New York received 1 to 3 feet (30 to 91 cm) of snow overnight, on top of the 3 feet that fell over the weekend. The meteorological service issued a “lake effect” snow warning for much of western New York on Tuesday, which will be in place until Thursday evening.
