Polar vortex triggers extreme cold warning in central U.S. as Kentucky flooding death toll rises

Harsh cold descended on the nation’s midsection Monday as a polar vortex gripped the Rockies and Northern Plains after winter storms pummeled the eastern U.S. over the weekend, killing at least 13 people, including at least 11 in Kentucky who died during flooding from heavy rains.

The National Weather Service warned of “life-threatening cold” as wind chills dropped to minus 60 Fahrenheit in parts of North Dakota on Monday and minus 50 F in parts of Montana. Tuesday morning was forecast to be even colder.

Extreme cold warnings were issued for an 11-state swath of the U.S. stretching from the Canadian border to Oklahoma and central Texas, where the Arctic front was expected to bring near-record cold temperatures and wind chills in the single digits by midweek.

What’s more, the weather service said, “Heavy snow will move from the northern Rockies to the central Plains by early Tuesday. A swath of significant snow and ice will likely move from the central Plains to the Mid-Atlantic states Tuesday through early Thursday.”

Meteorologists said several states would experience the tenth and coldest polar vortex event this season. Weather forces in the Arctic are combining to push the chilly air that usually stays near the North Pole into the U.S. and Europe.

In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday morning that the death toll had risen to at least 11 in his state.

“That number may still grow,” Beshear said while giving an update on the state’s response.

Beshear said on “CBS Mornings” that rescue operations were expected to continue Monday.

“In many ways, this is one of the biggest flooding events we’ve had, in some areas just since 2022, because we’ve been hit hard. In other areas, one of the biggest floods ever,” Beshear said. “And it’s basically happening in the middle of multiple snowstorms. So we always think we’ve seen it all and then we get hit by something else.”

Beshear said Sunday that at least 1,000 people stranded by floods had to be rescued. “The speed of those rescues is thankfully decreasing as the water has either crested or is going down in many areas of the state, but there are still some significant active missions that are going on right now that are very important,” the governor said Monday.

Beshear said snow that’s forecast to hit the state later in the week would complicate flood response efforts. “We’re going to have to make sure that we’ve got everyone who is displaced because of this flooding in a warm place for the days that are coming ahead,” the governor said.

President Trump approved Kentucky’s request for a disaster declaration, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate relief efforts throughout the state.

Beshear said most of the deaths, including a mother and 7-year-old child, were caused by cars getting stuck in high water.

“So folks, stay off the roads right now and stay alive,” he said.

Parts of Kentucky and Tennessee received up to 6 inches of rain as severe storms swept across the South. Water submerged cars and buildings in Kentucky and mudslides blocked roads in Virginia.

West Virginia had one confirmed flood-related fatality with several people still missing, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Monday. At least 13 counties were under a state of emergency and some areas were cut off to vehicle traffic.

In Atlanta, a person was killed when a large tree fell on a home early Sunday.

Flood warnings were extended Monday across most of Kentucky and portions of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Virginia and Ohio.

In Alabama, the weather service in Birmingham said it had confirmed an EF1 tornado touched down in Hale County. Storms there and elsewhere in the state destroyed or damaged a handful of mobile homes, downed trees and toppled power lines, but no injuries were immediately reported.

A state of emergency was declared for parts of Obion County, Tennessee, after a levee failed on Saturday, flooding the small community of Rives, home to around 300 people in the western part of the state. “There will be mandatory evacuations in effect for the residents in Rives due to the rising water, no electricity, and freezing temperatures creating a life-threatening situation,” Mayor Steve Carr said in a statement Sunday.

The mother and child were swept away Saturday night in Kentucky’s Bonnieville community, Hart County Coroner Tony Roberts said. In southeastern Kentucky, a 73-year-old man was found dead in floodwaters in Clay County, county Emergency Management Deputy Director Revelle Berry said.

The Kentucky River Medical Center in the city of Jackson said it had closed its emergency department and transferred all patients to two other hospitals in the region due to a nearby river flooding.

High winds brought down trees and power poles across Albermarle County, Virginia. The Charlottesville Police Department said Sunday on social media that officers’ response times could be delayed due to “an overwhelming number of weather-related calls for service.” Police urged residents to stay off the roads.

Power outages were reported along much of the Eastern Seaboard, from New York south to Georgia.

Ice and snow made road travel treacherous in large swaths of Michigan, which remained under a winter weather advisory until Monday afternoon. Michigan State Police reported 114 crashes Sunday around the Detroit area since snow started falling Saturday.

“Fortunately, most were one-car spin outs and there were no serious injuries,” Michigan State Police said on X.

Authorities in Colorado reported eight people were killed in fatal vehicle crashes since Valentine’s Day and warned drivers to be cautious as the weather made driving more difficult. The causes of the fatal crashes weren’t immediately known.

Also in Colorado, three state patrol cruisers that had pulled over along roadsides were struck by other vehicles, including one on Sunday where a trooper had stopped as officials prepared to close a road because of ice. In each case the troopers were out of their cruisers at the time and were uninjured.

Avalanche warnings were issued for numerous areas of the Rocky Mountains, with the danger rated high in portions of Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.