The Latest: Trump tweet on global warming draws scorn
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Latest on a major snowstorm and the expected frigid weather in the Midwest (all times local):
10:20 a.m.
A Wisconsin congressman is calling President Donald Trump “a moron” over a tweet that urged global warming to “come back fast” in the face of dangerous cold hitting the Midwest.
Hundreds of schools in the region cancelled classes through Wednesday, and the governors of Wisconsin and Michigan declared states of emergency amid wind chills as low as negative 60 degrees (negative 51 Celsius).
Trump has frequently cast doubt on climate change, especially when cold weather hits. His tweet late Monday wondering “What the hell is going on with Global Warming” drew a quick response from Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan.
The Democrat responded by saying: “Only a moron would not understand global warming causes huge temperature swings.”
Northern Illinois University climate scientist Victor Gensini said the cold snap is “simply an extreme weather event” and doesn’t represent the global trend toward a warming Earth. He noted the record heat currently in Australia.
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9:20 a.m.
Major universities in parts of the Midwest are shutting down because of the extreme cold blanketing the region.
Arctic air dipping into the region sent temperatures plunging Tuesday, and even colder weather is expected Wednesday.
Hundreds of public schools are closed from North Dakota to Michigan. The universities closed through Thursday include the University of Minnesota, the University of North Dakota and the University of South Dakota.
Temperatures in the Dakotas and Minnesota dropped on Tuesday to as low as minus 27 (negative 33 degrees Celsius) with wind chills as cold as minus 59 (negative 51 degrees Celsius).
Officials at Iowa State University say all classes have been canceled until noon Thursday. The National Weather Service says wind chills in much of Iowa could dip as low as negative 50 degrees (negative 45.6 Celsius) on Wednesday.
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7:25 a.m.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has approved a state of emergency ahead of dangerously cold weather .
Whitmer says the order will help address threats to public health and safety stemming from this week’s cold snap, which follows a snowstorm that buried parts of Michigan and other Midwestern states.
Hundreds of the state’s schools are closed Tuesday, including Detroit’s public schools, as cleanup from the snow continued.
Heavy snow and gusting winds also created blizzard-like conditions Monday in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and other states where officials closed schools, courthouses and businesses.
But it’s the plunging temperatures expected to start Tuesday that have forecasters especially concerned. Wind chills could dip to negative 55 degrees (negative 48 degrees Celsius) in northern Illinois this week.
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12 a.m.
Extreme cold and record-breaking low temperatures are settling across parts of the Midwest after a powerful snowstorm pounded the region.
Forecasters say the weather could be life-threatening.
Subzero temperatures will begin Tuesday, but Wednesday is expected to be the worst. Wind chills in northern Illinois could fall to negative 55 degrees (negative 48 degrees Celsius), which the National Weather Service called “possibly life threatening.”
Minnesota temperatures could hit minus 30 degrees (negative 34 degrees Celsius) with a wind chill of negative 60 (negative 51 degrees Celsius). The potentially record-breaking low temperature forecast in Milwaukee is negative 28 degrees (negative 33 degrees Celsius), with a wind chill as low as negative 50 (negative 45 degrees Celsius).
Minneapolis Public Schools announced there would be no classes through Wednesday.
