The central, southern, and eastern United States are bracing for the coldest, most extreme polar air in years, which will come in waves and last until mid-January. Storms carrying snow and ice will join.
AccuWeather’s Paul Pastelok warns that Arctic air will dominate the central and eastern United States over the next week. Low temperatures can reach freezing in Texas with the risk of snow and ice.
Round after round after round of arctic air prepares to plunge into the central and eastern United States. Accuweather Meteorologists warn that each outbreak of Arctic air has the potential to bring colder air further south than the previous round and will lead to a significant increase in energy demand and the risk of freeze-related damage in Southern states.
The volume and extent of Arctic air will increase during the first full week of January and continue through the middle of the month, affecting at times more than 250 million people living in more than 40 states in the central and eastern regions.
Although each layer of incoming cold may not reach the level of the most extreme conditions of the past 10 to 15 years, the number of days spent below the historical average will accumulate in dozens of states from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. .
“This could end up being the coldest January since 2011 for the U.S. as a whole,” said Paul Pastelok, chief long-term expert at AccuWeather.
“The combination of remaining neutral sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific, warm waters in the North Pacific and atmospheric traffic congestion will produce multiple rounds of Arctic air east of the mountains,” added AccuWeather long-range meteorologist Alex Duffus. “Rocky.” “This pattern creates a persistent southward thrust in the jet stream over eastern North America to allow cold air to discharge from the Arctic into the central and eastern United States.”
Another major factor regarding how severe cold will be able to penetrate the South and East is that multiple storms are expected to produce wide swaths of snow and ice from the Great Plains into the Midwest, East and even into the Southern states. . Snow cover reduces the effects of global warming and acts as a tundra-like surface for cold air to expand over.
“At this time, it looks like there will be at least three large blasts of Arctic air that will affect the southern states,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex Da Silva said. “The first outbreak will last until January 4, the second on January 7-8, and then the third round on January 11-12.” Additional rounds of Arctic air may follow but will move more toward the Midwest and Northeast.
In the southern United States, exposed or poorly insulated homes and buildings run the risk of pipes freezing and bursting with the potential for severe water damage. The persistence and magnitude of hail can be enough to make heat pump systems struggle to keep up. As demand for energy increases, pressure on the electrical grid may lead to continuous power outages.
Given the magnitude and duration of the freezing temperatures, cold-sensitive crops in Gulf Coast states will be at risk of damage.
“At this time, the areas likely to be most vulnerable to a crop-destroying freeze will be in central and northern Florida, southern Louisiana and parts of central Texas,” DaSilva said. “We are closely monitoring South Texas and South Florida for any sign of cooler temperatures that could harm agriculture.”
Most of the Great Lakes have little ice cover, leaving the water exposed to somewhat warm Arctic air. However, the persistence of cold air will significantly increase the ice cover. As ice cover increases, the effects of warming on the Great Lakes will decrease, opening the Northeast to more exposure to extreme cold.
When freezing air passes over the Great Lakes, it will quickly pick up moisture and produce heavy to intense bands of lake-effect snow that can bury some towns under feet of snow and massive drifts. As snow bands move with changing winds, the snow can move away and then return in some areas several times during the roughly two-week period through the middle of the month.
Travelers brave wind and snow in cold weather on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
AP
Cold blasts will be accompanied by periods of high winds. In some cases, the combination of cold air, wind and precipitation will push AccuWeather RealFeel® temperatures well below zero for extended periods from the northern Plains to the Great Lakes and the valleys of the Mississippi and central Ohio.
Over time, RealFeel temperatures will reach subzero temperatures east of the Appalachians and into the Gulf Coast region.
The undulating nature of the Arctic air will be conducive to multiple winter storms across the central and eastern United States, including a storm coming this weekend that is expected to empty areas of accumulated snow and ice.
Storms will vary in intensity and cover, but at least two of them could be so widespread and heavy that they cause major travel disruptions. Snow and ice will fall in parts of the southern states, and with limited winter storm equipment, this could lead to extended periods of dangerous travel and school closures.
But even in the Midwest and Northeast, as the cold and snow pattern intensifies, travel disruptions and possible school closures will increase.
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