Record cold coming to ‘almost entire USA’ – Low temperature records set to be SHATTERED
First Arctic Blast of the Season Arriving as Pattern Change Brings Colder Temperatures from Coast to Coast
Climatologist Dr. Roger Pielke Sr. announced: " I cannot recall last time I have seen such a cold anomaly forecast across almost entire USA."
The record warmth that much of the U.S. experienced this fall will just be a distant memory this week. A change is arriving, courtesy of the first arctic blast of the season, engulfing the western states early in the week, then spreading east throughout much of the Lower 48 into next weekend.
The pool of arctic air that is beginning to invade the Lower 48 originated in Alaska and northwestern Canada.
Parts of Alaska saw frigid conditions over the weekend, with lows dipping to minus 36 degrees in Fairbanks on Sunday. Though very cold, it's still quite far from their daily record of minus 53 degrees for the day. Arctic Village, Alaska, saw their temperature dip to minus 42 degrees Sunday.
A pattern change has now dislodged that arctic air, allowing it to spill southward in the days ahead.
Specifically, a southward dip in the jet stream, or upper-level trough, that originated in the Gulf of Alaska and western Canada is now slipping into the western U.S., and will then slide eastward as the week progresses. High pressure at the surface is also diving southward, allowing arctic air to spread into parts of the Lower 48.
This is the first arctic air mass of the season for the U.S., just in time for the first full week of December.
Big temperature drops are anticipated, with highs and lows falling 20 to 30 degrees.
These very cold conditions will first be felt in the northern Rockies on Monday and will spread through much of the West and into portions of the northern and central Plains by Tuesday.
The first sub-zero temperatures of the season for some locations are expected Tuesday through Thursday mornings from the Rockies to the northern Plains.
High and low temperatures will be as much as 30 degrees colder than average. This translates to high temperatures below freezing for much of the West and into the northern and central Plains and Midwest. In fact, highs may hold in the single digits midweek in parts of the northern Rockies and northern Plains.
Even with these very cold temperatures, widespread record lows are not expected.
It will be windy as well, which will make it feel even colder than what the thermometer reads, resulting in brutal wind chills.
In addition, snow will accompany the cold temperatures in some locations.
Arctic air will continue to plunge through the Plains and into the Midwest midweek. Above-average temperatures will be replaced with below-average readings. Highs will drop from the 40s to the 20s for much of the Midwest.
Late in the week, the colder conditions will reach the East Coast.Many areas in the South will experience a hard freeze late this week with lows dipping well into the 20s, including Atlanta, Nashville and Raleigh.
The Ohio Valley, southern Great Lakes and mid-Mississippi Valley will see lows crash into the teens later this week. Chicago, Cincinnati and St. Louis are among the cities where the mercury will plunge into the teens.
Link: Britannica Maunder Minimum