Decembrrrr! Arctic Blast Bringing Subzero Chill to Rockies, Plains; Hard Freeze for California

By: Nick Wiltgen and Chris Dolce

Published: December 6,2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arctic air has spread across the western states and into the Plains and Upper Midwest the last couple of days behind the frontal system associated with former Winter Storm Cleon and ahead of Winter Storm Dion. According to the National Weather Service in Riverton, Wyo., one location in Wyoming dipped as low as 37 degrees below zero on Wednesday.

Current Temperatures

(MORE: Winter Storm Dion Forecast)
In some cities, the frigid air mass has been the coldest seen in years or has broken daily record lows. Here's a few examples:

• Denver: Record low of 13 degrees below zero on Wednesday beat the old record of 5 degrees below zero set in 2008. Thursday's low of 15 degrees below zero tied the daily record.
• Ely, Nev.: Record low of 17 degrees below zero on Wednesday crushed the old record of 5 degrees below zero.
• Great Falls, Mont.: Record low of 23 degrees below zero on Wednesday topped the old record of 22 degrees below zero.
• Casper, Wyo.: Record low of 22 degrees below zero on Wednesday beat the old record of 11 degrees below zero set in 1972.
• Medford, Ore: Record low of 18 degrees on Wednesday and a record low of 14 on Thursday. According to the National Weather Service, this is the coldest air mass in the city since 1998.
• Portland, Ore. and Astoria, Ore.: Three straight days with daily record lows through Thursday morning.
• Spokane, Wash.: Saw its first high in the teens since Feb. 26, 2011 on Thursday.
• Glasgow, Mont.: Recorded its first subzero high temperature since Jan. 18, 2012 on Thursday.
• Wichita Falls, Texas: Saturday morning's low temperatures will flirt with a daily record as the thermometer drops to a forecasted 5 degrees.
• Fargo, N.D.: Forecast temperatures are in the negative twenties, and Fargo may see a new daily record low if the thermometer drops below -21 degrees.

The very cold air mass will continue to persist and slowly spread south and east into the weekend. Let's step through the highlights – or perhaps, lowlights – of this arctic outbreak.

Saturday AM Lows

Saturday Highs

Highs Compared to Average Saturday

Sunday Highs

Regional Impacts

• Pacific Northwest: Highs will be stuck in the 30s through the upcoming weekend in western Washington and western Oregon. Lows will be in the 20s, with a few places reaching the teens. A few daily record lows may be threatened. Areas east of the Cascades will be much colder than this, with widespread highs in the teens and lower 20s, and lows in the single digits.
• California: This will easily be the coldest air of the season, with highs only reaching the 40s by this weekend in the Bay Area and struggling to rise out of the upper 50s in L.A. and San Diego into this weekend. Lows in the 20s will grip the Central Valley for multiple nights; in some cases these will be record or near-record lows. Morning lows well below freezing are also expected in the high deserts of Southern California and interior parts of the Bay Area such as Santa Rosa and Napa into the weekend, resulting in multiple hard freezes. These conditions could potentially last all the way into early next week.
• Great Basin: Highs in the 20s or low 30s will be common into early next week. Lows in the teens, single digits, or locally subzero will settle in.
• Desert Southwest: Highs may not rise out of the 50s in Phoenix into early next week with lows mainly in the 30s and low 40s. Meanwhile Las Vegas will likely stay below 50 degrees during the day and go below freezing at night into early next week.
• Northern/Central Rockies & Plains: Highs in the single digits and teens will dominate the Northern Plains and central and northern Rockies into Sunday. Some spots may not rise above zero during the day. Morning lows fall into the single digits, teens and 20s below zero (locally 30 below zero) at a number of locations in Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota and Minnesota through Sunday.
• South: The cold air mass slowly spreads into parts of the Southeast this weekend. Warmer-than-average temperatures persist in Florida. Highs 10 to 30 degrees below average from the lower-Mississippi Valley into parts of Texas and Oklahoma through Sunday.

MORE: Arctic Photos from Destination Uncharted

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