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What is the polar vortex?
The polar vortex is a large area of low-pressure and cold air that typically swirls around the Earth’s poles, particularly the North Pole.
unbranded – Newsworthy
The new year brings a wave of cold temperatures to much of the country, including Rhode Island.
A polar vortex, which is a large pocket of cold air that swirls in place over the North and South Poles, is expected to spill south and push Arctic-level temperatures across the country next week.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center, the surge of cold temperatures is expected to hit most of the eastern part of the country.
NOAA’s latest forecast has Rhode Island likely to see below freezing temperatures throughout most of next week. Here’s what to know.
A polar vortex bringing a surge of Arctic temperatures is expected to reach most of the country, including Rhode Island, mid-next week through Jan. 14, according to NOAA.
According to AccuWeather meteorologist Alex DaSilva, the polar vortex blasts are expected to hit from Jan. 3 to 4, Jan. 7 to 8 and Jan. 11 to 12.
Some parts of the country, like the northern Plains, could face a risk of heavy snow next week.
AccuWeather forecasters are predicting a possible snowstorm impacting metro areas including Boston later next week.
During next week’s polar vortex, some parts of the country could reach temperatures as low as -30°F, according to the latest AccuWeather forecast.
Temperatures in Rhode Island are expected to reach peak lows between Jan. 8 and Jan. 10. AccuWeather’s forecast has the northeast, including Rhode Island, hitting somewhere between 0-10°F on those days.
“This could end up being the coldest January since 2011 for the U.S. as a whole,” said AccuWeather’s lead long-range expert Paul Pastelok.
WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — Two people are dead and another person seriously hurt after a crash involving two vehicles on the highway in Warwick Saturday.
Rhode Island State Police said the crash happened around 1:34 p.m. on the ramp from Route 113 West to I-95 South.
According to police, a Hyundai SUV that was driving in the middle lane of the highway started to drift to the right, crossed the first lane, and then crossed onto the on-ramp lane. The car struck the guardrail twice before driving through the grass median.
The Hyundai then struck the driver’s side of a Mercedes SUV that was on the ramp, causing the Mercedes to roll over and come to a rest. The impact sent the Hyundai over the guardrail and down an embankment.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 73-year-old man, and his passenger, a 69-year-old woman, were both pronounced dead at the hospital.
A woman who was in the Mercedes was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in critical condition.
State police said all lanes of traffic were reopened by 4:30 p.m.
The investigation remains ongoing.
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A federal judge on Friday tossed the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) lawsuit aiming to force Rhode Island to hand over its voter information as part of the Trump administration’s push to acquire voter data from several states.
Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Mary McElroy wrote that federal law does not allow the DOJ “to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here,” siding with Rhode Island election officials. She added that the DOJ did not provide evidence to suggest that Rhode Island violated election law.
McElroy, a Trump appointee, wrote that she sided with the similar decision in Oregon. That decision ruled that the DOJ was not entitled to unredacted voter registration lists.
“Absent from the demand are any factual allegations suggesting that Rhode Island may be violating the list maintenance requirements,” she said in her ruling.
Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D) praised McElroy’s decision. He said in a statement that the Trump administration “seems to have no problem taking actions that are clear Constitutional overreaches, regularly meddling in responsibilities that are the rights of the states.”
“Today’s decision affirms our position: the United States Department of Justice has no legal right to – or need for – the personally-identifiable information in our voter file,” he said. “Voter list maintenance is a responsibility entrusted to the states, and I remain confident in the steps we take here in Rhode Island to keep our list as accurate as possible.”
The Hill reached out to the DOJ for comment.
The DOJ called for the voter lists as it investigated Rhode Island’s compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which allowed Americans to register to vote when they apply for a driver’s license.
The DOJ sued at least 30 states, as well as Washington, D.C., in December demanding their respective voter data. This data includes birth dates, names and partial Social Security numbers.
At least 12 states have given or said they will give the DOJ their voter registration lists, according to a tracker operated by the Brennan Center for Justice.
The department stated after it lost a similar suit against Massachusetts earlier this month that it had “sweeping powers” to access the voter data and that, if states fail to comply, courts have a “limited, albeit vital, role” in directing election officers on behalf of the administration to produce the records. The DOJ cited the Civil Rights Act as being intended to unearth alleged election law violations.
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