Extreme cold after major snowstorm to send Midwest, East into deep freeze
Multiple shots of brutally cold air in the Midwest and Eastern Seaboard will send temperatures falling far below normal this week as AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures dipping well below zero.
By
Nicole LoBiondo, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Jan 15, 2022 3:52 PM EDT
|
Updated Jan 18, 2022 6:14 AM EDT
Virginia State Police said more than 400 crashes were reported on Jan. 16 as a winter storm left highways coated in snow and sleet.
A brutally cold punch of Arctic air is expected to arrive in the United States this week, reinforcing winter across the Midwest and much of the East on the heels of this past weekend’s major snowstorm. AccuWeather forecasters are saying this will make for the longest stretch of cold air so far this winter.
After a "Saskatchewan screamer" left over a foot of snow in Des Moines, Iowa, Friday into Saturday, this same storm barreled through the eastern U.S., spreading ice and heavy snow across interior portions of the region. But after that storm departed, two separate shots of cold air will continue the wintry freeze.
First, a dip in the jet stream pattern opened the doors for cold, frigid air to billow into the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast early this week. AccuWeather meteorologists are watching a more potent shot of Arctic air that will be allowed to move south from Canada into the north-central U.S. across the mid-Atlantic and Eastern Seaboard as early as the middle of this week and last into late January.
The more mild-mannered of the two cold shots settled into the zone from the lower Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys through the mid-Atlantic into Monday night, where high temperatures dropped into the low to middle 20s F in many areas. Some of the cold spots dipped into the teens. The temperature plunge will cause untreated wet and slushy areas to freeze. Motorists and pedestrians venturing out Tuesday morning should anticipate areas of ice on their travels.
On Tuesday, cold conditions will continue to grip the Northeast with high temperatures in the single digits in the Adirondacks and struggling to reach 30 degrees Fahrenheit across the remainder of the region. Temperatures will slightly rebound in the Midwest on Tuesday, where afternoon highs in cities like Minneapolis, Des Moines and St. Louis will range from the upper 30s to low 50s. This will be ahead of the second, more potent shot of Arctic air that will blast through the region on Wednesday after a quick-moving storm moves through the region.
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There is a side effect of the cold weather pattern in this case. Disturbances remain active over the northern Pacific, and these will move inland over western Canada. These storms are referred to as Alberta clippers, as they sometimes originate from the Canadian province of Alberta and tend to move swiftly along in the southward dip of the jet stream around the Great Lakes and Northeast.
AccuWeather meteorologists have had their eye on one particular clipper storm that will drop across the Midwest on Tuesday and move into the Northeast by Wednesday evening, producing a chance for accumulating snow in portions of Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and into the Northeast.
The clipper-type storm will move swiftly across the Canadian Prairies on Tuesday and into far northern Minnesota bringing 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm) to some residents. The fast-moving storm will move across the upper Great Lakes and into northern portions of New England late Tuesday into Wednesday evening with a thin area of 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) could fall from Thunder Bay, Ontario to just north of Ottawa, Ontario where the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 15 inches (38 cm) could fall.
Some lake-enhanced snow bands could set up downwind of Lakes Huron and Ontario that could significantly reduce visibility for those traveling. Behind this storm, a branch of the polar vortex will be able to move south.
Bitter cold and high pressure will bring high temperatures crashing in the north-central U.S. on Wednesday where cities like International Falls, Minnesota, will only reach a high of -4 degrees and Minneapolis reaching only 5 degrees.
Gusty conditions across portions of the Midwest will lead the outside air to feel even colder than the thermometer reading, as AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will dip well below zero at times across northern Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota on northward to the Canadian Border. Wednesday morning through the afternoon, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures are forecast to plummet to a teeth-chattering -15 degrees in Minneapolis and -32 degrees in Fargo, North Dakota.
As the cold, Arctic air dives south, conditions will feel noticeably colder to many residents from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon across the middle of the country. Areas as far south as northern Texas will experience a 24-hour temperature drop between 20 to 30 degrees, and even Dallas could see a 10- to 20-degree drop in temperatures. Residents farther north in Iowa, eastern South Dakota and Minnesota are expected to endure a 30- to 40-degree temperature drop in 24 hours.
Temperatures are expected to plummet even farther on Thursday from Fargo, North Dakota, to Duluth, Minnesota, and into Minneapolis. The mercury will struggle to move past zero Thursday afternoon while Fargo, North Dakota, will remain frozen with the high only expected to reach -10 degrees.
As high pressure moves over the upper Midwest on Thursday, winds are anticipated to be relatively calm with AccuWeather RealFeel® temperatures in the region still struggling to reach above zero, especially in Fargo, North Dakota, where the afternoon RealFeel® is set to be -20 degrees.
Those on the road should prepare their vehicles with an emergency cold weather kit in case of breakdowns on the road. Homeowners are recommended to take extra care to avoid pipes bursting as temperatures drop and heating demands rise.
"Wednesday and Thursday's cold surge is thanks to a branch on the polar vortex that has traveled south into the U.S., and that is why the midweek cold can surpass the cool snap early this week," explained AccuWeather meteorologist Joesph Bauer.
A southward displacement of the polar vortex for January was predicted many weeks in advance by AccuWeather Long Range meteorologists and will continue to bring waves of cold air to the Midwest and the Northeast over the next week or two.
Low temperatures are expected to reach the -20s in the Upper Midwest on Thursday morning and northern New England by Friday as the polar vortex moves east.
"These frigid conditions will spread eastward through the second half of the week with places like Boston, New York City and Philadelphia seeing the coldest day on Friday," AccuWeather Senior meteorologist Adam Douty said.
High temperatures will struggle to reach 30 degrees in cities like New York City, Philadelphia and Boston on Friday while cities farther south along the I-95 corridor, such as Washington D.C., Richmond and Raleigh, will remain frigid with highs in the low 30s.
Overall, temperatures are expected to be well below normal for the middle and into late January from the north-central across the Great Lakes into the Northeast and into the Southeast this week, some 10-25 degrees below average.
Frigid conditions are expected to persist into next week as another, reinforcing shot of cold air will keep temperatures below normal as January starts to come to a close.
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
Extreme cold after major snowstorm to send Midwest, East into deep freeze
Multiple shots of brutally cold air in the Midwest and Eastern Seaboard will send temperatures falling far below normal this week as AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures dipping well below zero.
By Nicole LoBiondo, AccuWeather meteorologist
Published Jan 15, 2022 3:52 PM EDT | Updated Jan 18, 2022 6:14 AM EDT
Virginia State Police said more than 400 crashes were reported on Jan. 16 as a winter storm left highways coated in snow and sleet.
A brutally cold punch of Arctic air is expected to arrive in the United States this week, reinforcing winter across the Midwest and much of the East on the heels of this past weekend’s major snowstorm. AccuWeather forecasters are saying this will make for the longest stretch of cold air so far this winter.
After a "Saskatchewan screamer" left over a foot of snow in Des Moines, Iowa, Friday into Saturday, this same storm barreled through the eastern U.S., spreading ice and heavy snow across interior portions of the region. But after that storm departed, two separate shots of cold air will continue the wintry freeze.
First, a dip in the jet stream pattern opened the doors for cold, frigid air to billow into the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast early this week. AccuWeather meteorologists are watching a more potent shot of Arctic air that will be allowed to move south from Canada into the north-central U.S. across the mid-Atlantic and Eastern Seaboard as early as the middle of this week and last into late January.
The more mild-mannered of the two cold shots settled into the zone from the lower Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys through the mid-Atlantic into Monday night, where high temperatures dropped into the low to middle 20s F in many areas. Some of the cold spots dipped into the teens. The temperature plunge will cause untreated wet and slushy areas to freeze. Motorists and pedestrians venturing out Tuesday morning should anticipate areas of ice on their travels.
On Tuesday, cold conditions will continue to grip the Northeast with high temperatures in the single digits in the Adirondacks and struggling to reach 30 degrees Fahrenheit across the remainder of the region. Temperatures will slightly rebound in the Midwest on Tuesday, where afternoon highs in cities like Minneapolis, Des Moines and St. Louis will range from the upper 30s to low 50s. This will be ahead of the second, more potent shot of Arctic air that will blast through the region on Wednesday after a quick-moving storm moves through the region.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
There is a side effect of the cold weather pattern in this case. Disturbances remain active over the northern Pacific, and these will move inland over western Canada. These storms are referred to as Alberta clippers, as they sometimes originate from the Canadian province of Alberta and tend to move swiftly along in the southward dip of the jet stream around the Great Lakes and Northeast.
AccuWeather meteorologists have had their eye on one particular clipper storm that will drop across the Midwest on Tuesday and move into the Northeast by Wednesday evening, producing a chance for accumulating snow in portions of Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and into the Northeast.
The clipper-type storm will move swiftly across the Canadian Prairies on Tuesday and into far northern Minnesota bringing 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm) to some residents. The fast-moving storm will move across the upper Great Lakes and into northern portions of New England late Tuesday into Wednesday evening with a thin area of 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) could fall from Thunder Bay, Ontario to just north of Ottawa, Ontario where the AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 15 inches (38 cm) could fall.
Some lake-enhanced snow bands could set up downwind of Lakes Huron and Ontario that could significantly reduce visibility for those traveling. Behind this storm, a branch of the polar vortex will be able to move south.
Bitter cold and high pressure will bring high temperatures crashing in the north-central U.S. on Wednesday where cities like International Falls, Minnesota, will only reach a high of -4 degrees and Minneapolis reaching only 5 degrees.
Gusty conditions across portions of the Midwest will lead the outside air to feel even colder than the thermometer reading, as AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will dip well below zero at times across northern Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota on northward to the Canadian Border. Wednesday morning through the afternoon, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures are forecast to plummet to a teeth-chattering -15 degrees in Minneapolis and -32 degrees in Fargo, North Dakota.
As the cold, Arctic air dives south, conditions will feel noticeably colder to many residents from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon across the middle of the country. Areas as far south as northern Texas will experience a 24-hour temperature drop between 20 to 30 degrees, and even Dallas could see a 10- to 20-degree drop in temperatures. Residents farther north in Iowa, eastern South Dakota and Minnesota are expected to endure a 30- to 40-degree temperature drop in 24 hours.
Temperatures are expected to plummet even farther on Thursday from Fargo, North Dakota, to Duluth, Minnesota, and into Minneapolis. The mercury will struggle to move past zero Thursday afternoon while Fargo, North Dakota, will remain frozen with the high only expected to reach -10 degrees.
As high pressure moves over the upper Midwest on Thursday, winds are anticipated to be relatively calm with AccuWeather RealFeel® temperatures in the region still struggling to reach above zero, especially in Fargo, North Dakota, where the afternoon RealFeel® is set to be -20 degrees.
Those on the road should prepare their vehicles with an emergency cold weather kit in case of breakdowns on the road. Homeowners are recommended to take extra care to avoid pipes bursting as temperatures drop and heating demands rise.
"Wednesday and Thursday's cold surge is thanks to a branch on the polar vortex that has traveled south into the U.S., and that is why the midweek cold can surpass the cool snap early this week," explained AccuWeather meteorologist Joesph Bauer.
A southward displacement of the polar vortex for January was predicted many weeks in advance by AccuWeather Long Range meteorologists and will continue to bring waves of cold air to the Midwest and the Northeast over the next week or two.
Low temperatures are expected to reach the -20s in the Upper Midwest on Thursday morning and northern New England by Friday as the polar vortex moves east.
"These frigid conditions will spread eastward through the second half of the week with places like Boston, New York City and Philadelphia seeing the coldest day on Friday," AccuWeather Senior meteorologist Adam Douty said.
High temperatures will struggle to reach 30 degrees in cities like New York City, Philadelphia and Boston on Friday while cities farther south along the I-95 corridor, such as Washington D.C., Richmond and Raleigh, will remain frigid with highs in the low 30s.
Overall, temperatures are expected to be well below normal for the middle and into late January from the north-central across the Great Lakes into the Northeast and into the Southeast this week, some 10-25 degrees below average.
Frigid conditions are expected to persist into next week as another, reinforcing shot of cold air will keep temperatures below normal as January starts to come to a close.
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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