Bitter cold lingers in parts of U.S. after storm moves to Canada

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/12/14/winter.weather/index.html?hpt=T2



(CNN) -- Wintry weather continued its assault Monday on the Eastern United States with another hard freeze on tap for the deep South and as much as two more feet of snow in portions of New York and Pennsylvania.

Even northwest Indiana, already buried under as much as two feet of snow and the site of numerous motorist strandings Sunday and Monday, was expected to get another taste of blinding lake effect snow on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

And temperatures will only get colder, CNN meteorologist Jennifer Delgado said.

Cold arctic air is expected to cover the eastern United States through Tuesday, according to Delgado. Florida is expected to shiver through wind chills ranging from 5 to 23 degrees.

While the bulk of the storm that blanketed much of the upper Midwest in snow over the weekend has moved on to Canada, the National Weather Service said portions of upstate New York were expected to get as much as two feet of lake effect snow through Wednesday morning. The heaviest accumulations were expected Tuesday afternoon and evening.

Lake effect snow happens when cold air passes over warmer lake waters, picking up moisture that freezes and falls as snow.

As much as 16 inches of lake effect snow is on tap for parts of northwest Pennsylvania, as well.

Northwest Indiana, where dozens of motorists were stranded Sunday and Monday after a storm that dumped more than two feet of snow in parts of LaPorte County and surrounding areas, was expected to get a few more inches of blowing, drifting lake effect snow, according to the National Weather Service.

That would continue to make travel in the region difficult.

In Florida, where much of the state was under a hard freeze watch for Tuesday night, citrus growers remained cautiously optimistic that the state's valuable citrus crop would survive yet another night of frosty cold.

Although temperatures were forecast to fall into the mid-20s in the southern part of the state and as low as the teens in inland portions of northern Florida, winds were forecast to be light -- a good sign for growers, said Andrew Meadows, a spokesman for Florida Citrus Mutual, a trade association.

"Our fingers are crossed for tonight but the good thing is there's not going to be any wind, which is prefect for irrigation," he said.

Constantly spritzing citrus trees with water can help prevent frost damage. Windy conditions make that work harder, according to the association.

The crop has so far escaped major damage, Meadows said.

By the way, in case you were thinking Wednesday might be better, probably not.

The National Weather Service says that a low pressure system will draw warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico up into Kentucky and Tennessee, introducing the threat of freezing rain that could coat roads, trees and power lines.