An extremely cold weather system is forecast to bring record low temperatures to much of the Midwestern and Eastern regions of the United States, including areas in the South.
The high temperature in Chicago will be below zero Fahrenheit Jan. 6, and Washington and New York will fall to 7, the National Weather Service reported. Dallas will hit 19, and the temperature in Orlando, Fla., may dip below freezing.
Officials in states including Indiana and Wisconsin have closed some roads and advised motorists to stay off all roads if possible.
The expected cold, along with a winter storm that hit Jan. 2-3, has caused many states to waive hours-of-service rules. As of Jan. 6, Arkansas, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island were under HOS waivers for truckers hauling fuel.
Jan. 7 will be even worse for the East, NWS said.
"Cold temperatures and gusty winds associated with an arctic air mass will continue dangerously cold wind chills as far south as Brownsville, Texas, and Central Florida," NWS said. The weather system will hit the Eastern two-thirds of the country, and 90% of the contiguous United States is likely to fall below freezing Jan. 6.
