These arctic blast maps show America plunging into a deep freeze

Catastrophic meteorology terminology (severe! unprecedented! deep freeze! blizzard!) is accurate today, as much of the United States is under an actual arctic blast. It is, quite literally, a fast-moving air mass from the north: You can see it roll over Louisiana here.

Ever wondered what an Arctic Blast really looks like? The next 24 hours over Texas and Louisiana is it… #lawx #txwx pic.twitter.com/oeGNNnaYZ5

— Zack Fradella (@ZackFradellaWx) November 11, 2019

Meanwhile, the temperature in Dallas crashed by 19 degrees in an hour yesterday.

All hell is breaking loose: Flights canceled, more than 150 daily temperature records expected to be broken, trucks and planes sliding off roads and runways. Yesterday Northern Montana reached negative 19 degrees. Normally temperate regions are frigid: It’s expected to dip to negative 1 degree in Sioux City, Iowa, with Houston and New Orleans dropping into the 20s. Yes, you read that right: deep freeze has pushed into the Gulf of Mexico.

My favorite color on a weather map!

This Arctic blast is the real deal.

You’ve got a few days to prepare for the record cold arriving early next week. pic.twitter.com/YrIIYvCo53

— Ryan (@RyanMaue) November 7, 2019

As is typical, the Northeast is screwed, with a foot of snow expected. As is typical, parents housebound with rambunctious children lost their sanity 12 hours ago. (Altruism tip: Go help out a parent for a bit!)

Here are a few more colorful maps that show how chilly it will get:

• Weather Central’s current temperatures map
• Weather Underground’s current temperatures map
• NOAA’s weather forecast maps

And guess who predicted it all? The folklore-filled Farmer’s Almanac, which “predicts” 16 months of weather forecasts: “Polar Coaster winter ahead! The Almanac calls for above-normal winter precipitation over the eastern third of the country as well as the Great Plains, Midwest and Great Lakes. Buckle…er Bundle up!”