Cold Grips Central U.S., Sets Records in More Than 30 Cities

Bitter cold and snow stung the central United States Monday as record low temperatures were reached in more than 30 cities from the Plains to the Great Lakes with readings as low as the single digits.

In Goodland, Kan., which received nearly a foot of snow Sunday, the mercury plunged to a record 4 degrees, and another mark for the date was set with a reading of 5 above in Cheyenne, Wyo., the National Weather Service said.

An advancing cold front dropped temperatures from 91 degrees Sunday to 39 Monday in El Paso, and from 82 Sunday to 29 in Albuquerque, N.M.

The change felt worse in Albuquerque because winds gusting to 53 m.p.h. overnight pushed the wind-chill temperature to 5 below zero, the weather service said. Other wind chills below zero were reported in the lower Great Lakes.

Freeze warnings or advisories were posted for Monday night in Kentucky, Arkansas, Oklahoma, north-central and northeastern Texas, northern Mississippi, northern Alabama, western and middle Tennessee, eastern West Virginia, western and central Maryland and northern Virginia.

Snow fell in the eastern Great Lakes and in parts of the southern Plains with 4 inches reported early Monday in Cleveland and Guymon, Okla.

Snow advisories were posted in the northeast highlands of New Mexico, the southern foothills of Colorado, southwest Kansas, the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles, north-central and northeast Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania and western New York.

Up to 6 inches of snow fell Sunday in Michigan, and a 14-car accident south of Grayling shut down southbound Interstate 75 for more than three hours and injured six people, police said.