Photo: Jose A. Bernat Bacete / Moment / Getty Images
Nearly 70 million people across the United States faced cold weather alerts on Monday (December 15), with temperatures plunging from the Midwest to the Gulf Coast. The Ohio Valley, the Great Lakes, and the Northeast experienced below-zero and single-digit temperatures. At 7 a.m., wind chills were 7 degrees in New York City, 1 degree in Washington, D.C., minus 9 in Chicago, and zero degrees in Louisville, Kentucky.
Daytime highs are expected to be 10 to 20 degrees below average for the entire eastern third of the country. However, temperatures are predicted to gradually rise across all regions beginning Tuesday and continue warming through the rest of the week.
Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest is preparing for a series of storm systems throughout the week. These storms will bring heavy rain, adding to the challenges faced by the region after recent rain and flooding. With several rivers still elevated, renewed flood concerns are present, especially in the western half of Washington state, as well as northern Idaho and Montana.
Light rain and mountain snow will affect parts of Washington, Oregon, and northern Idaho on Monday. By Tuesday night, a storm system fueled by an atmospheric river could bring flooding, landslides, and wind gusts of up to 50 mph to the region. Although these storms are not expected to be as severe as last week's, they could produce 2 to 6 inches of rainfall, with localized amounts reaching up to 8 inches. Northern California will also experience heavy rain from this system.