Arctic cold envelops US during holiday weekend, disrupting Iowa campaigning
By Maria Caspani
NEW YORK (Reuters) — The holiday weekend brought dangerous freezing temperatures across much of the United States, snarling everything from political campaigning to football games and travel.
An Arctic blast seeping into the country from Canada caused temperatures to plummet across a vast swath of the country, from the Pacific Northwest into the Rust Belt, the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) said in its early Sunday bulletin.
«To highlight just how intense this outbreak of Arctic air is, over 95 million citizens fall within a Wind Chill Warning, Advisory, or Watch as of midnight tonight,» the agency said.
Sunday could bring some of the coldest temperatures in states including Montana, South Dakota and North Dakota. There, meteorologists forecast wind chills as low as -70 degrees Fahrenheit (-57 Celsius.)
In Iowa, a powerful blizzard pulled the brakes on the ever-churning political campaigning machine as Republicans vying for the 2024 presidential candidacy canceled events due to the inclement weather.
Snow piled high on the side of every road in Des Moines at the center of the Iowa caucuses' frenzy rendered political yard signs practically useless.
Reporters spotted a pickup truck full of yard signs touting Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis covered in snow with nowhere to go, sitting outside the hotel where the Florida governor is staying.
David Barker, treasurer of the Republican Party of Iowa, said the brutal temperatures forecast for Monday might test even weather-resistant Iowans.
«Iowans are pretty good at handling cold and snow, so I think we'll see good turnout, although the weather is likely to bring turnout down somewhat. It may end up being a test of how committed the
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