Dangerous cold snap to follow winter storm in central US
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jan 1, 2022 1:27 PM EDT
|
Updated Jan 3, 2022 5:29 AM EDT
Here are a few tips you should follow before you have to deal with the cost of expensive home repairs from frozen pipes.
A blast of frigid air will continue to sweep southeastward over the central United States in the wake of a winter storm to finish the weekend, and AccuWeather meteorologists say it will feel 60, 70 and even 80 degrees Fahrenheit lower when compared to recent weeks.
The cold air, appropriate for the dead of winter, will bring the risk of frostbite and hypothermia for those spending time outdoors and not properly dressed.
During Saturday morning, temperatures climbed into the 80s over parts of Georgia, while readings of 10 to 30 degrees below zero were gripping North Dakota. Meaning that between northern and southern portions of the continental United States, there was about a 110 degree range between the highest and lowest temperatures.
This map shows AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures at 10 a.m. CST on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022.
In stark contrast to much of the past month, seriously cold air was pushing southward across the Plains on Saturday and continued to sweep eastward over portions of the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, as well as the Great Lakes region into the start of the new week.
Chicago finished December with temperatures averaging 7.5 degrees above the normal of 31.5 degrees and in sixth place on the all-time list of warm Decembers that dates back to the mid-1800s.
As the cold air settled in early Sunday, temperatures dipped 10-20 degrees below average. Early Sunday morning, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures came crashing down and dipped just below zero in Chicago.
Following temperatures peaking in the 60s F over many areas of Kansas and Oklahoma on Friday, temperatures had plummeted into the teens and single digits on New Year's Day. In Wichita, Kansas, temperatures hovered in the lower 60s late Friday afternoon but crashed through the 20s and into the teens in a little more than 12 hours by Saturday morning with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures approaching 10 below zero.
The change will be quite a shock following the warmest December on record at Oklahoma City that topped 1965's 48.7 degrees. Dec. 2021 averaged 50.7 degrees.
"The flash freeze had turned roads and sidewalks into a skating rink around Wichita, Kansas, Saturday morning," AccuWeather Meteorologist Joe Bauer said.
A temperature plunge and freeze-up of equal magnitude expanded across the middle Mississippi Valley and Midwest in the wake of a storm bringing heavy snow, a wintry mix and drenching rain.
This will be a major reality check of just how nasty January can be following benign temperatures over much of the Midwest during December, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
Around Chicago and many other cities in parts of the Central Plains and Great Lakes region, areas of slush and standing water will freeze in the storm's wake. Road crews and property owners are urged to promptly remove the snow and treat surfaces, otherwise, the ice that forms will be extremely difficult to remove.
People heading back to work and school on Monday morning from parts of Kansas and Nebraska to Michigan and northern Ohio should be prepared for areas of ice and hard-packed snow.
"For much of the central Plains and Midwest, the weather into Monday will represent the coldest air of the season so far," Anderson said.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
While a significant temperature dip occurred during the first week or so in December and a respectable chill settled over part of the North Central states ahead of the storm, this new batch of Arctic air will surpass that level but a substantial margin. Temperatures bottomed out at 7 below zero in Omaha, Nebraska, on Sunday morning, around 15 degrees lower than the last few days of December. Farther to the east, a low in the middle single digits is in store for Chicago on Monday morning that is likely to surpass the prior low mark of 13 on Dec. 7, by several degrees.
Much colder air is forecast to settle across many areas being targeted by severe weather this weekend as well and a weak trailing storm can even bring a bit of snow to parts of Tennessee and Kentucky on Sunday.
Even though milder Pacific air is expected to sweep eastward at midweek and relieve parts of the northern and central Plains of their Arctic air, the cold air may be more reluctant to leave farther to the east over the Midwest and in the South Central states.
Temperatures will rise into the 40s over portions of the northern and central Plains on Monday and Tuesday, while temperatures struggle to reach the mid-30s around Chicago on Tuesday.
Another sweep of cold air will follow during the middle and latter part of the week and that could set the stage for a stripe of snow that includes portions of the central Plains and the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys toward the end of the week as a storm swings out of the Rockies.
For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
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News / Winter Weather
Dangerous cold snap to follow winter storm in central US
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Jan 1, 2022 1:27 PM EDT | Updated Jan 3, 2022 5:29 AM EDT
Here are a few tips you should follow before you have to deal with the cost of expensive home repairs from frozen pipes.
A blast of frigid air will continue to sweep southeastward over the central United States in the wake of a winter storm to finish the weekend, and AccuWeather meteorologists say it will feel 60, 70 and even 80 degrees Fahrenheit lower when compared to recent weeks.
The cold air, appropriate for the dead of winter, will bring the risk of frostbite and hypothermia for those spending time outdoors and not properly dressed.
During Saturday morning, temperatures climbed into the 80s over parts of Georgia, while readings of 10 to 30 degrees below zero were gripping North Dakota. Meaning that between northern and southern portions of the continental United States, there was about a 110 degree range between the highest and lowest temperatures.
This map shows AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures at 10 a.m. CST on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022.
In stark contrast to much of the past month, seriously cold air was pushing southward across the Plains on Saturday and continued to sweep eastward over portions of the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, as well as the Great Lakes region into the start of the new week.
Chicago finished December with temperatures averaging 7.5 degrees above the normal of 31.5 degrees and in sixth place on the all-time list of warm Decembers that dates back to the mid-1800s.
As the cold air settled in early Sunday, temperatures dipped 10-20 degrees below average. Early Sunday morning, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures came crashing down and dipped just below zero in Chicago.
Following temperatures peaking in the 60s F over many areas of Kansas and Oklahoma on Friday, temperatures had plummeted into the teens and single digits on New Year's Day. In Wichita, Kansas, temperatures hovered in the lower 60s late Friday afternoon but crashed through the 20s and into the teens in a little more than 12 hours by Saturday morning with AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures approaching 10 below zero.
The change will be quite a shock following the warmest December on record at Oklahoma City that topped 1965's 48.7 degrees. Dec. 2021 averaged 50.7 degrees.
"The flash freeze had turned roads and sidewalks into a skating rink around Wichita, Kansas, Saturday morning," AccuWeather Meteorologist Joe Bauer said.
A temperature plunge and freeze-up of equal magnitude expanded across the middle Mississippi Valley and Midwest in the wake of a storm bringing heavy snow, a wintry mix and drenching rain.
This will be a major reality check of just how nasty January can be following benign temperatures over much of the Midwest during December, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
Around Chicago and many other cities in parts of the Central Plains and Great Lakes region, areas of slush and standing water will freeze in the storm's wake. Road crews and property owners are urged to promptly remove the snow and treat surfaces, otherwise, the ice that forms will be extremely difficult to remove.
People heading back to work and school on Monday morning from parts of Kansas and Nebraska to Michigan and northern Ohio should be prepared for areas of ice and hard-packed snow.
"For much of the central Plains and Midwest, the weather into Monday will represent the coldest air of the season so far," Anderson said.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
While a significant temperature dip occurred during the first week or so in December and a respectable chill settled over part of the North Central states ahead of the storm, this new batch of Arctic air will surpass that level but a substantial margin. Temperatures bottomed out at 7 below zero in Omaha, Nebraska, on Sunday morning, around 15 degrees lower than the last few days of December. Farther to the east, a low in the middle single digits is in store for Chicago on Monday morning that is likely to surpass the prior low mark of 13 on Dec. 7, by several degrees.
Much colder air is forecast to settle across many areas being targeted by severe weather this weekend as well and a weak trailing storm can even bring a bit of snow to parts of Tennessee and Kentucky on Sunday.
Even though milder Pacific air is expected to sweep eastward at midweek and relieve parts of the northern and central Plains of their Arctic air, the cold air may be more reluctant to leave farther to the east over the Midwest and in the South Central states.
Temperatures will rise into the 40s over portions of the northern and central Plains on Monday and Tuesday, while temperatures struggle to reach the mid-30s around Chicago on Tuesday.
Another sweep of cold air will follow during the middle and latter part of the week and that could set the stage for a stripe of snow that includes portions of the central Plains and the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys toward the end of the week as a storm swings out of the Rockies.
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For the latest weather news check back on AccuWeather.com. Watch the AccuWeather Network on DIRECTV, Frontier, Spectrum, fuboTV, Philo, and Verizon Fios. AccuWeather Now is now available on your preferred streaming platform.
Report a Typo