Record cold again chills eastern USA
Record cold temperatures were once again the main weather story across much of the eastern half of the nation as arctic air poured in Friday behind a snowstorm.
All-time March record lows were set Friday morning in Pittsburgh at minus 3 degrees; in Paducah, Ky., at minus 6 degrees; in Lexington, Ky., at minus 2 degrees; and in Harrisburg, Pa., at 0 degrees, according to the Weather Channel.
Daily record lows were also set in Chicago, Detroit and Cincinnati (all 0 degrees), Montpelier, Vt. (minus 16), Toledo, (minus 5 degrees), Buffalo (minus 1 degree), Baltimore (10 degrees), Memphis (17 degrees), Little Rock (18 degrees), Austin (21 degrees), Baton Rouge (26 degrees) and Huntsville, Ala. (16 degrees).
As many as 200 record lows may have been broken this morning once all the temperature data is recorded.
Little in the way of warmth is likely Friday for most of the eastern USA, which will see high temperatures 10-30 degrees below the average for early March, according to the National Weather Service.
Some good news is that the cold blast has pushed most of the storminess out to sea, other than some light wintry precipitation in the Southeast and some showers in Florida.
In the central USA, some snow will fly in the Upper Midwest and around the Great Lakes, but amounts should be on the light side.
Fortunately for people who have grown tired of winter and the relentless cold, this shot of frigid air will be quick to depart as temperatures grow moderate heading into the weekend, AccuWeather said.
"Although highs are still forecast to remain below normal on Saturday and Sunday, they will not be nearly as low," AccuWeather meteorologist Brian Lada said. "The weather should feel comparatively warmer as a result."
