The bitter cold gripping much of the South has led to at least two weather-related deaths and caused overcrowding at Nashville's homeless shelters.
Forecasters say the temperature in Middle Tennessee will stay below freezing through the week, and up to 6 inches of snow could fall by Thursday afternoon. It's unlikely to get above freezing until early next week, making for dangerous conditions for people who work outside, senior citizens and those sleeping on the streets.
An 81-year-old Nashville man was found in his Oakes Drive yard Monday morning. Family members told police that John Anderson suffered from the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease and that he must have gone outside in his bathrobe overnight. His death was caused by the extreme cold overnight with temperatures in the teens. In Bartlett, Tenn., authorities believe a man found dead by the railroad tracks was also killed by the cold. 3 people found dead in Shelby County
Homeless shelters in Tennessee have people sleeping in chairs and in hallways and occasionally are turning people away because of the high demand for a bed. Room In The Inn, a network of church congregations offering shelter, has been turning away up to 75 people a night since the cold kicked in, said Charles Strobel, the founding director of the Room In The Inn's Campus for Human Development.
本报讯 元旦过后，田纳西地区遭遇本年度最为强烈的寒流。来自美国东北部的寒潮，向东南部袭来，和上周相比，气温下降华氏20-40度。从孟菲斯到TriCity地区，平均气温在华氏20度，相当于摄氏12度。各地夜间最低温度均在华氏10度以下，接近历史最低。
孟菲斯市和纳什维尔市以及田州各大都市的急救部门（Rescue）和当地政府开始急救行动，搜寻街头露宿者（Homeless）。各地教会都有传统的Room In行动，他们打开教会的门，向任何有需要的民众开放。
记者从田纳西州政府部门了解到，少有五人的死亡，和寒冷天气有关，其中纳什维尔两人，孟菲斯三人。气象预报部门声称，低温将持续到本周末。
美国整个地区，连日来遭遇酷寒与强风，一场暴风雪使新英格兰部分地区再度降雪超过一呎；一个从北极南下的喷射气流使洛矶山脉与北部大平原区创下了低温的新纪录，风寒效应使北达科他州大叉市(Grand Forks)2日的气温成为华氏负51度，是全国最低温。不过佛罗里达州的柑橘生产地区气温都在冰点以上，逃过了寒害。
新英格兰外海的暴风雪3日全天使缅因、佛蒙特和新罕布什尔州降下了大雪，加上时速高达45哩的强风，已接近大暴风雪的情况。这个暴风雪在2日已使麻州降雪6至10吋，风寒效应使纽约州水牛城3日的气温感觉低于零度。
国家气象局也对阿拉巴马州南部、乔治亚和佛罗里达州北部发布3日和4日强冷警告，这种警告通知农作物种植者，气温可能降至低于华氏32度超过连续三小时。
气象学家认为，通常把最冷的空气留在加拿大哈德逊湾以北的喷射气流近日南下，使中西部、东北部，南至墨西哥湾的气温普遍降低，东岸主要城市因风寒效应，气温为个位数，从纽约到华盛顿都有时速达45哩的强风。
专家说，这个冷气流使北达科他和明尼苏达州达到破纪录的低温，过去两天这两州真的非常冷，包括明尼达州的国际瀑市(International Falls)达负37度。国际瀑市通常是全国最冷的城市，3日创下历来1月3日最冷的纪录，该市1月最冷的纪录是负46度。
佛罗里达州杰克森维尔2日晚的气温降至26度，远低于平常的42度，该市与奥兰多3日晚分别为20度与27度，都创下新纪录，所幸柑橘生产区2日晚都高于冰点，3日晚气温虽然稍低，但预期低于冰点的气温不会持久到足以伤害柑橘。
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