Relentless Surges of Arctic Air Continue Into Final Week of January

By: By Chris Dolce

Published: January 25,2014

 

 

 

 

 

The blasts of Arctic air have been relentless so far this month for many cities east of the Rockies. Unfortunately, there's no end in sight as we close out January.
Additional surges of frigid air will pour southward from Canada behind a couple of Alberta clippers that will bring snow to the northern tier this weekend. Temperatures in some cities early next week may rival what we saw in early January.
(SNOW FORECAST:  Sun | Mon)
We have the details on this latest surge of dangerously cold temperatures below.

Arctic Surges Continue Into Next Week

Monday AM Lows

Monday's Highs

Tuesday AM Lows

Tuesday's Highs

Wednesday AM Lows

Wednesday's Highs

Once again, the Midwest, Northeast and the South will be the regions affected by the shivering temperatures. The coldest and most widespread surge of Arctic air will begin to dive into the Midwest on Sunday.
By Monday and Tuesday, many cities in these regions will see temperatures 15 to 30 degrees below average. That's on top of most of the country being at it's coldest time of year, climatologically speaking.
(MORE: Interactive Temperature Map)
As our forecast maps to the right illustrate, subzero high temperatures are expected in the Upper Midwest and western Great Lakes on Monday, including Minneapolis and possibly Chicago. High temperatures may remain below zero in parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes again on Tuesday.
Low temperatures will dive below zero as far south as the coal fields of Kentucky and West Virginia by Tuesday morning.
Temperatures will dip into the double digits below zero Monday and/or Tuesday morning in the Upper Midwest and, perhaps, parts of the Ohio Valley, including North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, northern Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
Daily record lows are possible Tuesday morning in Detroit, Dayton, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, among other locations. This daily record cold will spread to the Deep South, while lingering in the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley Wednesday morning, possibly including Mobile, Ala. and Lake Charles, La.
Of course, that's just the actual air temperature. Wind chills will be dangerously low at times early Monday and Tuesday. In the upper Mississippi Valley, northern Plains and western Great Lakes, wind chills will likely dip into the 30s and 40s below zero. Some spots near the Canadian border may even see 50s below zero.
(MAPS: Forecast Wind Chills | Current Wind Chills)
Along the Northeast I-95 corridor from Boston to Philadelphia, the majority of the days from Sunday through the middle of next week will see highs in the teens or 20s. Morning temperatures will bottom out in the single digits or low teens. Interior portions of the region will be even colder.
Highs in the 30s or low 40s will plunge deep into the South on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Lows will once again head for the 20s, teens and even single digits in a few places.
(FORECAST: Atlanta | Charlotte | Nashville)
As mentioned before, temperatures early next week may rival what we saw earlier in the month. Here's a few examples:
Chicago:

• Coldest low this month: -16 on Jan. 6.
• Forecast: Could be near or even colder than this on Tuesday morning (see 10-day forecast).

La Crosse, Wis.:

• Coldest low this month: -20 on Jan. 6
• Forecast: Could be colder than this Tuesday morning (see 10-day forecast).

Cincinnati: 

• Coldest low this month: -8 on Jan. 22
• Forecast: Teens below zero possible Tuesday morning (see 10-day forecast).

Indianapolis:

• Coldest low this month: -16 on Jan. 6
• Forecast: Teens below zero possible Tuesday morning (see 10-day forecast).

(MORE: Winter Safety and Preparedness)

Is it a Polar Vortex?

There's been some more chatter about the "polar vortex", which became a popular catchphrase to describe the blast of bitter cold air at the start of the month. However, just like in early January, this term is being used misleadingly from a meteorological perspective since the actual center of the Northern Hemisphere polar vortex never really moves through the atmosphere above the United States - rather, it remains anchored farther to the north.
(EXPERT ANALYSIS: Stu Ostro on the Polar Vortex in Early January)
With that said, the counterclockwise flow around the polar vortex will help to shove cold air southward from the Arctic into the Lower 48 just like we see in many other winters. Think of it as a spoke of the polar vortex rotating through, ushering in the chilly temperatures.
There is nothing unusual about this since the polar vortex is always present and there are always spokes and always surges of cold air during the winter in our hemisphere. In any given place or time, the surge of cold air can be more or less intense and travel a longer or shorter distance from the pole.
MORE: Photos of the Early January 2014 Deep Freeze

8 / 75

Roswell, Ga.

This father and son duo built an outdoor ice rank in the yard of their Roswell, Ga. home. (BMA Goodheart/weather.com).