Forecast of extreme cold in much of the US in the coming days

A new wave of winter will plunge large swathes of the US into more cold, snow and ice in the coming days, forecasters predicted.

Another round of winter weather is expected in parts of the United States in the coming days, including frigid winds in the Northern Plains and unusual snow and ice in the Gulf Coast area.

A cold forecast for Monday in Washington, DC, led to President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural ceremony being moved inside the US Capitol Rotunda.

Much of the country, from the Rocky Mountains to the Northern Plains, will experience colder-than-normal temperatures starting Sunday and into the next week, including forecast wind chills of minus 40 degrees Celsius or colder in North Dakota and northern Minnesota, said National Weather Service meteorologist Marc Chenard.

In such extreme cold conditions, frostbite can develop on exposed skin in 10 minutes or less, so people should wear coats, hats and gloves and minimize time outdoors, said Connor Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. in Bismarck.

The cold air will moderate as it moves south and east, but the central and eastern United States will remain cold with highs of minus 11 and minus 7 degrees Celsius on Monday and Tuesday, Chenard said.

The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast will also have highs of minus 11 and minus 7 degrees Celsius, and lows below minus 18 Celsius and freezing temperatures.

“Cold weather will affect much of the country, especially the Rocky Mountains and points eastward,” Chenard said.

Unusual winter weather of snow, sleet and freezing rain threatens Texas as far north as Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina, it said. Impacts are expected to begin in Texas on Monday night and spread across the Gulf Coast and Southeast on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“It will be another relatively quick storm but will probably produce some winter weather impacts in areas that don't see it as often,” Chenard said.