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South Central US recovering from damaging ice storms; frigid cold slams Midwest, Northeast


A driver in a snow plow pushes slush and ice off the northbound lanes of US 75, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
A driver in a snow plow pushes slush and ice off the northbound lanes of US 75, Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
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Bitter cold and dangerous wind chills will stretch from the Northern Plains to the Northeast Friday into Saturday.

The Midwest and Northeast were under alerts for dangerous snow and frigid wind gusts Thursday evening into Friday, but for the first time all week, there were no winter weather alerts for the South Central and Southeast.

Several of those states are now shifting into recovery mode, cleaning up after days of damaging ice storms created slick conditions, brought down tree limbs and knocked out power across the area.

More than 400,000 people were still without power across the Southeast Thursday night but that’s down from about 500,000 earlier in the day

Some rain and light snow are lingering in the region while temperatures are hovering in the mid-30s. The National Weather Service says it could take another eighteen hours for some areas to thaw out.

The next weather threat comes for the Northeast with temperatures dropping even further ahead of the weekend. Highs on Friday from the Midwest to the Interior Northeast and New England area will be in the single digits and teens while areas in the I-95 corridor will see highs in the teens and 20s.

As gusty winds also sweep in, forecasters say windchill will bring feels-like temperatures well below zero. Maine is expected to hit a record-breaking -54 degrees.

"The wind chills have the potential to be once-in-a-generation cold," the weather service said.

Snow squalls — quick bursts of heavy snow — will also be possible. This could lead to sudden low visibility, quickly making travel conditions treacherous.

Temperatures are expected to gradually warm up through Saturday, bringing more moderate conditions to end the weekend.

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