Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Record-Breaking Cold Likely in the First Week of March

Chris Dolce
Published: March 3,2015




 
The record-breaking cold we saw in February will continue into the first week of March for a number of cities in the Midwest, South and Northeast.
(MORE: Coldest February on Record | February's Siberian Express)
Dozens of record lows will be threatened late this week, and some cities could see their coldest temperatures in decades for so late in the season.
This latest round of arctic air will follow right behind Winter Storm Thor. The snow cover left behind by Thor may play a role in just how cold temperatures will bottom out in some cities later this week.
Let's dive into the notables of this latest round of record-breaking arctic air, which entered the northern Plains and northern Rockies Tuesday, and will sweep south and east through late week.

Wednesday

  • Lows: Single digits above and below zero from Montana, Wyoming and Colorado to Minnesota, Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.
  • Highs: 10-30 degrees below average throughout the Plains and the Midwest. Single digits and teens for highs from the Dakotas to northern Illinois, Wisconsin and northern Michigan.

Wednesday AM Lows and Highs

Thursday

  • Lows: Subzero lows from northern Illinois and northern Iowa to the Canadian border. Teens and 20s in the Mid-South and southern Plains. A handful of daily record lows will be threatened in the Midwest and southen Plains.
  • Potential Daily Record Lows (record to beat is in parentheses): Chicago (0 degrees) | Dubuque, Iowa (minus 9 degrees) | Dallas-Fort Worth (20 degrees)
  • Latest Subzero High Since 1982? If Chicago falls below zero, it would be the latest in the season a subzero low has occurred there since 1982. Also, it would only be the fifth time since 1872 that a subzero low has been recorded on March 5 or later.
  • Highs: Teens and 20s for highs in the Great Lakes and interior Northeast. 30s and 40s push into parts of the South.

Thursday AM Lows and Highs

Friday

  • Lows: More than four dozen daily record lows will be threatened from the Midwest to the South and the Northeast. Single digits above and below zero in the Ohio Valley, Great Lakes and interior Northeast. Single digits and teens above zero for lows possible in the Mid-South. Teens and single digits for lows from Boston to Washington, D.C.
  • Potential Daily Record Lows (record to beat is in parentheses): Memphis, Tennessee (20 degrees) | Little Rock, Arkansas (19 degrees) | Philadelphia (10 degrees) | Pittsburgh (2 degrees) | Chicago (2 degrees) | Detroit (minus 1 degrees)
  • All-Time March Record Lows? Memphis, Tennessee and Paducah, Kentucky could flirt with their all-time March record lows of 12 degrees and minus 2 degrees, respectively.
  • Coldest So Late in the Season? If Cincinnati dips to 1 degree or lower, it would be the coldest temperature ever recorded there this late in the winter season. A low of 2 degrees or colder in Pittsburgh would be the coldest temperature there this late in the winter season since 1993.
  • First March Single Digits Since 1980 Possible: Nashville, Tennessee and Louisville, Kentucky could see their first March single digit lows since 1980.

Friday AM Lows and Highs

PHOTOS: Winter Storm Thor

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