A massive winter storm is developing in the US and has been predicted to bring dangerously cold temperatures and severe weather across the weekend.

From blizzards and "large hail" to thunderstorms and tornadoes, the National Weather Service has issued weather alerts in nearly every state.

Wind chills up to 45 degrees below zero are forecast in Iowa, where voters are preparing to participate in the state's caucuses on Monday.

It is the third major storm this week.

A wind advisory warning of gusts up to 50mph (80km/h) has been issued from Texas to New York.

In parts of Texas, the NWS issued a wind chill watch through Saturday, and warned of hypothermia and frostbite. It predicted wind chills there could drop to 25 degrees below zero (-32C).

The average low temperature in the Lone Star state was forecast at 15F (-9C), prompting some concern among energy suppliers there who saw the power grid collapse during the Great Texas Freeze of 2021.

In the area where Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana meet, the NWS said there was a risk of "damaging winds, large hail, and possibly a strong tornado".

Further north, record cold temperatures brought by frigid wind chills were predicted, with over a foot of snow predicted in some places like upper Michigan.

Up to 8in (20cm) of snow was forecasted in Chicago, Illinois.

The mix of cold, snow and high winds is expected to bring blizzard conditions to other nearby states.

Winter storm warnings were issued in Iowa, where Republican voters are supposed to gather on Monday to select their state's presidential nominee, as well as Wisconsin, northern Indiana, Illinois and Michigan.

In northern Missouri, wind chills up to 35 degrees below zero were predicted, along with 2-4in of snow, and wind gusts up to 45mph. Those cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes, the NWS warned.

"We call it 'life-threatening' for a reason," a local Missouri branch of the service wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Take it seriously. This kind of cold does not happen very often."

Wind chill warnings ranging from 55 below zero to 35 below zero have been issued across the northwest, from Washington to North Dakota, and down to Nebraska and Kansas.

The storm has already been disruptive in Iowa, a state hit by snow and frosty temperatures earlier this week.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Friday cancelled her in-person events scheduled in the state due to "potentially dangerous weather conditions".

Her rivals Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy are still scheduled to press on, however, ahead of Monday's caucus in the Hawkeye State.

Source:
courtesy of BBC NEWS

by Brandon Drenon | BBC News, Washington

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