Free Republic

Orlando International Airport was forced to ground all flights on Sunday afternoon after “extreme cold” sparked an emergency in the air traffic tower. The FAA issued an alert about the ground stop due to a “possible fire” at an air traffic control tower early Sunday afternoon, but the order was lifted at 4:15 p.m. after the cause was determined. In reality, the extreme cold — currently 43 degrees — caused a spinkler head in the fire suppression system at the facility to activate. The agency had sent out a bare-bones “fire alarm/safety” advisory that a tower was evacuating due to...

As the week progresses, the East will get blasted with the coldest air of the season so far. In New York City, temperatures could drop below zero for the first time since 1994. Arctic Air Floods Chicago to New York City Arctic air bottled up over Alaska is being unleashed over the Midwest and will soon follow into the East. The cold air will spread southeastward in two waves this week. The second surge threatens to be the harshest and farthest reaching. The first shot of arctic air is already plunging into the northern Plains behind a clipper system bringing...