Polar Vortex Grips US: Ice, Snow, and Wind Cause Chaos Across the Nation

A huge swath of the U.S. was blasted with ice, snow and wind on Monday as the polar vortex that dipped south over the weekend kept much of the country east of the Rockies in its frigid grip, making many roads treacherous, forcing school closures, and causing widespread power outages and flight cancellations.The immense storm system brought disruption to areas of the country that usually escape winter's wrath, downing trees in some Southern states, threatening a freeze in Florida and causing people in Dallas to dip deep into their wardrobes for hats and gloves.Washington, D.C., received heavy snow as President-elect Donald Trump’s victory was certified. Studies show that a fast-warming Arctic is partly to blame for the increasing frequency of the polar vortex extending its grip.Temperatures plunge Starting Monday, the eastern two-thirds of the U.S. dealt with bone-chilling cold and wind chills, forecasters said, predicting temperatures ranging from 12 to 25 degrees below normal in many areas.The Northeast was expected to get several cold days, said Jon Palmer, a weather service meteorologist based in Gray, Maine.The cold was expected to grip the Eastern Seaboard as far south as Georgia, with temperatures dropping into the low single digits in some coastal areas, Palmer said.School closings were widespread, with districts in Indiana, Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri and Kansas canceling or delaying the start of classes Monday. Police said other weather-related fatal accidents occurred Sunday near Charleston, West Virginia, and Monday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.By midday Monday, state troopers in Maryland had responded to at least 475 calls for service, including 123 reported crashes and 156 unattended vehicles since 1 a.m., Maryland State Police said on social media.More snow and ice are expected In Indiana, snow covered stretches of Interstate 64, Interstate 69 and U.S. Route 41, leading authorities to plead with people to stay home.“It’s snowing so hard, the snow plows go through and then within a half hour the roadways are completely covered again,” State Police Sgt. More than 250,000 customers were without power early Monday across Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, West Virginia, Illinois and Missouri, according to electric utility tracking website PowerOutage.us.In Virginia’s capital city, a power outage caused a temporary malfunction in the water system, officials said Monday afternoon.