Arctic air hits much of the US, bringing snow to some areas and very chilly temperatures to Florida

Some of this autumn’s coldest weather yet is bearing down on the United States, enveloping the eastern two-thirds of the country in Arctic air on Monday and affecting millions of people.

National Weather Service forecasters said the weather could bring record low temperatures in the U.S. Southeast, including all of Florida, where parts of the state were near 80 degrees (27 C) just a day ago.

The cold air brought gusty wind and red flag warnings in the Great Plains on Monday, and forecasters said the Great Lakes and Appalachian Mountain regions could see 4 inches (10 centimeters) to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of snow.

Around Lake Erie, forecasters warned of possible lake-effect snow, where copious amounts can fall in relatively narrow bands, drastically increasing snowfall near the water while leaving other nearby areas untouched.

Cold weather warnings were issued for Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, with freezing temperatures predicted for a large swath farther south, from Texas and Oklahoma to Alabama and Georgia.

The wintry weather contributed to flight delays across the country, including four-hour wait times at airports like the busy Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The cold front compounded the impacts of Federal Aviation Administration's order to cancel thousands of flights in response to the federal budget shutdown that has forced air traffic controllers to work unpaid for over a month. Some have stopped showing up for work, citing the added stress and need to take second jobs.

In Florida, forecasters said wind chills could dip to the 30s (minus 1 C). Whenever it gets that cold in the Sunshine State, many look to the trees: Iguanas, an invasive reptile species, have previously gone into a sort of suspended animation and fallen to the ground when temperatures dip below 40 degrees (4 C). They usually wake up with the sun’s warmth — although it is unclear whether any of the reptiles will tumble from the treetops this time.

Across the south, many local governments opened heated shelters for residents struggling to cope with the cold.

Those resources are invaluable in St. Louis, Missouri, where some people are still waiting for essential repairs on their houses after a powerful EF3 tornado ripped through the region in May. City officials announced Monday that emergency shelters would be open for homeless people as well as those who still dealing with the aftermath.

In Tennessee, temperatures dropped to 30 (minus 1 C) into Sunday morning, and areas with higher elevation in the eastern part of the state reported that 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of new snow had fallen by 9 a.m., causing some school closures. Snowy roads led to a crash involving multiple vehicles and about an hourlong shutdown on westbound Interstate 40 in Putnam County, east of Nashville, the county sheriff’s office announced.

Further north, as temperatures dropped across the nation’s midsection, meteorologists warned of hazardous travel conditions through winter weather advisories for Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin. Snow fell Sunday in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where meteorologists warned of low visibility and up to a foot (30 centimeters) of snow by Monday.

In Indiana, weather experts predicted up to 11 inches (28 centimeters) of snow and “slippery surfaces” for road travel. Up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) of snow were predicted in parts of Wisconsin.

“Patchy blowing snow” and wind chills hovering near freezing were expected in portions of Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota. Some areas got measurable fluff a day earlier, including 4 inches (10 centimeters) of snow in southwest Minnesota and more than 5 inches (13 centimeters) in northern Iowa.

Weather experts issued special guidance for gardeners in the Midwest and northeast, saying the freeze warning means the growing season has ended.

“Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold,” warned meteorologists in Arkansas.

Growers of peppers, eggplants, squash and leafy greens in north Florida were harvesting as much as they could on Monday and preparing irrigation lines to make sure they don’t freeze up and crack.

South Florida, where most of the state's winter fruits and vegetables are grown, was expected to be spared any freeze based on the current forecast. Citrus, Florida’s best-known crop, also was expected to dodge a hit since citrus trees typically sustain damage only when the thermometer drops below 28 degrees (minus 2.2 C).

“The freezing temperatures are likely to miss our major growing regions for fruits and vegetables,” said Christina Morton, a spokeswoman for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association.

The cold snap may have a sweet side: As long as temperatures stay above freezing, some Florida crops such as strawberries and blueberries could benefit because cool weather enhances their taste and quality, Morton said.

Riddle reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Schneider reported from Orlando, Florida. Associated Press writer Heather Hollingsworth contributed reporting from Mission, Kansas.

A surfer catches a wave as snow covers the ground n Evanston, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

A person walks her dog along Lake Michigan as snow covers the ground with fall colors on the trees in Evanston, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

A person jogs as snow covers the ground with fall colors on the trees in Evanston, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, Monday, Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato)

A car is covered with snow during a cold day in Evanston, Ill., Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Pedestrians cross a street during a cold day in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Search teams on Wednesday recovered the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from the jet that crashed and killed Libya’s military chief and other senior officers, while efforts to retrieve the victims' remains were still underway, Turkey's interior minister said.

The private jet carrying Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four other officers and three crew members crashed in Turkey on Tuesday after taking off from the capital, Ankara, killing everyone on board. Libyan officials said the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction on the plane.

The high-level Libyan delegation was on its way back to Tripoli after holding defense talks in Ankara aimed at boosting military cooperation between the two countries.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told journalists at site of the crash that wreckage was scattered across an area covering three square kilometers (about 1.2 square miles), complicating recovery efforts. Authorities from the Turkish forensic medicine authority were working to recover and identify the remains, he said.

A 22-person delegation — including five family members — arrived from Libya early on Wednesday to assist in the investigation, he said.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah confirmed the deaths on Tuesday, describing the incident on Facebook as a “tragic accident” and a “great loss” for Libya.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a telephone call with Dbeibah during which conveyed his condolences and expressed his sorrow over the deaths, his office said.

Al-Hadad was the top military commander in western Libya and played a crucial role in the ongoing, U.N.-brokered efforts to unify Libya’s military, which has split, much like Libya’s other institutions.

The four other officers who died in the crash were Gen. Al-Fitouri Ghraibil, the head of Libya’s ground forces, Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Al-Qatawi, who led the military manufacturing authority, Mohammed Al-Asawi Diab, advisor to the chief of staff, and Mohammed Omar Ahmed Mahjoub, a military photographer with the chief of staff’s office.

The identities of the three crew members were not immediately released.

Turkish officials said the Falcon 50 type business jet took off from Ankara’s Esenboga airport at 8:30 p.m. and that contact was lost some 40 minutes later. The plane notified air traffic control of an electrical fault and requested an emergency landing. The aircraft was redirected back to Esenboga, where preparations for its landing began.

The plane, however, disappeared from the radar while descending for the emergency landing, the Turkish presidential communications office said.

The Libyan government declared a three-day period of national mourning. Flags would be flown half-mast at all state institutions, according to the government’s announcement on Facebook.

The wreckage was found near the village of Kesikkavak, in Haymana, a district some 70 kilometers (about 45 miles) south of Ankara.

At the crash site, search and recovery teams intensified their operations on Wednesday after a night of heavy rain and fog, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Gendarmerie police sealed off the area while the Turkish disaster management agency, AFAD, set up a mobile coordination center. Specialized vehicles, such as tracked ambulances, were deployed because of the muddy terrain.

Turkey has assigned four prosecutors to lead the investigation and Yerlikaya said the Turkish search and recovery teams numbered 408 personnel.

While in Ankara, al-Haddad had met with Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and other officials.

Libya plunged into chaos after the country’s 2011 uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. The country split, with rival administrations in the east and west, backed by an array of rogue militias and foreign governments.

Turkey has been allied with Libya’s government in the west, but has recently taken steps to improve ties with the eastern-based government as well.

Tuesday’s visit by the Libyan delegation came a day after Turkey’s parliament approved to extend the mandate of Turkish troops serving in Libya for two years. Turkey deployed troops following a 2019 security and military cooperation agreement that was reached between Ankara and the Tripoli-based government.

Abuelgasim reported from Cairo. Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed.

Turkish rescue teams search for the remains of a private jet carrying Libya's military chief and four others that crashed after taking off from Ankara, killing everyone on board, in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Efekan Akyuz)

Turkish rescue teams search for the remains of a private jet carrying Libya's military chief and four others that crashed after taking off from Ankara, killing everyone on board, in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Efekan Akyuz)

Turkish soldiers and rescue teams search for the remains of a private jet carrying Libya's military chief and four others that crashed after taking off from Ankara, killing everyone on board, in Ankara, Turkey, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Efekan Akyuz)

FILE - Libya's army chief of staff Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad poses for a photo in Tripoli, Libya, Oct. 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Yousef Murad, File)