WeatherFanatics: Dangerous Cold Grips Minneapolis, Chicago and Detroit Into New Year

Monday, December 29, 2014

Dangerous Cold Grips Minneapolis, Chicago and Detroit Into New Year

By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist

December 29,2014; 10:12PM,EST

The coldest weather since last winter will settle over the Upper Midwest and northern Plains and will have some people shivering as they say goodbye to 2014 and ring in the new year.
While the core of the cold air will be centered over the northern Rockies and High Plains, temperatures will plunge well below zero from portions of the Dakotas and northern Minnesota at night through the end of 2014.

People new to the area, who will be spending time outdoors celebrating the arrival of 2015, will want to dress warmly from head to hand and foot in Minneapolis, Chicago, Detroit and other cities in the region.
AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures in some cases will be well below zero. Exposure to these temperatures for an extended period of time can lead to frostbite and hypothermia.

Studies have shown that while the consumption of alcohol can make you feel warmer, it can sharply lower your core body temperature.
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Temperatures are forecast to average 10-15 degrees below normal this week.

In most areas of the Upper Midwest, the cold will surpass the frigid weather from this past November, but will not be quite as cold the days surrounding the end of 2013.
However, since normal average temperatures are lower in late December and early January, the temperature departures from average will be less extreme, when compared to that of November.
During several days in November, temperature departures exceeded 20 F below average in many areas.
For those traveling into, from or through the region this week, no major storms will affect the area.
A weak front dropping in along the Canada border may cause spotty flurries from parts of the Dakotas to Michigan and northern Ohio Wednesday night into New Year's Day. Any heavy lake-effect will be limited to part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan through Friday.
The exact track and timing of a storm from the Southwest will determine whether or not rain and wintry precipitation reaches the region this weekend.

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