43 states under cold weather alerts, blizzard warning in parts of Texas and Louisiana

About 265 million Americans, or nearly 80 percent of the population, are under a cold weather alert Tuesday, with dangerous temperatures in at least 43 states.

About 45 million Americans in the South are under a winter storm alert as the biggest winter storm in decades hits Gulf states today from Texas to Florida and up the Carolina coast.

That storm will lead to the first blizzard warning issued for Beaumont, Texas and Lake Charles and Lafayette. Louisianaobserved visibility down to a quarter mile and wind gusts up to 35 mph.

More than 12 million Americans are under a red flag warning for Southern California, and about 3 million are labeled with a “specially hazardous situation” over communities experiencing high winds and extremely dry conditions.

Very cold from coast to coast

Only five of the lower 48 states are under cold weather alerts as of Tuesday morning — Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Connecticut and Rhode Island. All other states are fully enveloped in cold alerts or partially affected.

Record lows were recorded Monday in several cities, including Colorado Springs, Colo., when temperatures dropped to 14 degrees below zero. Rawlins, Wyoming, hit 23 degrees below zero; Alliance, Nebraska, hit 22 degrees below zero; and Borger, Texas, tied the 1 degree record.

Temperatures early Tuesday are below freezing along the Gulf Coast and north of 20 below zero – and those are just actual temperatures. With the wind chill, it feels like 40 below zero in Fargo, North Dakota, and like 18 in Houston, Texas.

Rare record low temperatures are possible in Kansas City, Missouri, and Salina, Kansas. Even this afternoon, wind chills will not go above 15 degrees below zero in Chicago, Illinois.

By Wednesday morning, wind chill temperatures will reach the northeast, where wind chills near zero will hit New York City and DC and drop below zero in Boston. Further south in the Great Smokey Mountains, Asheville, NC will feel like -2 Wednesday morning.

Light records are possible Wednesday morning in Corpus Christi, Lake Charles, Baton Rouge, Mobile, Pensacola along the Gulf Coast and Cleveland and Akron Ohio.

In the Midwest, many of these cold weather warnings are only in effect until Tuesday morning. In the South and East, the alerts extend into Wednesday or Thursday depending on location.

Historic Southern Snowstorm

In the late 1800s there was a large snowstorm along the Gulf Coast, but most of these records are not recognized by the National. the weather The service, as it was before the detailed snowfall report for those areas.

However, reports of 20 inches in Houston and 8 inches in New Orleans mean this storm won’t break those historic numbers, but this also happened at a time when power was coming on in Southern cities; so this will probably be the biggest influence. the storm of our modern times, and the historical past century.

Debilitating travel conditions and power outages are expected to spread, which is dangerous in the life-threatening cold, and could even burst pipes.

Local officials are warning residents to be prepared for power outages and there are suggestions in some communities to stay home and not travel if they don’t have to.

An early blizzard warning has been issued for Beaumont, TX and Lake Charles, LA and Lafayette, LA with quarter mile visibility and wind gusts up to 35 mph. (h/t Wnek)

More than an inch has already fallen in central Texas in Gonzales and an inch in Taylor. These numbers will be updated throughout the morning as reports come in.

Radar is showing widespread snow from Austin near Corpus Christi, which will likely see snow, Houston to nearly all of Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama this morning.