January's Cold Reality Sets in This Week

Brian Donegan
Published: January 6,2017
A change in weather pattern has arrived to start the month of January, ushering in much colder temperatures for a large swath of the United States that will last for several days in many areas.
(MAPS: 10-day Forecast High/Low Temperatures)
A southward diversion of the polar jet stream is allowing arctic air to flow southward out of Canada into the Lower 48 states, dropping temperatures 20 to 40 degrees colder than average in the northern Plains and northern Rockies.
Monday morning, wind chills fell to as low as the 40s below zero in eastern Montana. Subzero wind chills were observed as far south as southwest Kansas. On Tuesday, temperatures dropped into the 20s below zero in parts of Montana, including Wisdom, where the low temperature reached 28 degrees below zero.
Wednesday morning, portions of North Dakota and South Dakota saw wind chills dip into the 30s and 40s below zero. Bagley, Minnesota, was even colder, where a wind chill of 50 degrees below zero occurred.
Thursday morning, temperatures dropped into the 20s below zero in parts of northern Minnesota, including Bemidji and Roseau, and wind chills reached the 30s below zero across northern Minnesota and into parts of North Dakota. In addition, Portland, Oregon set a daily record low of 17 degrees.
On Friday, wind chills in the 30s and 40s below zero were experienced in portions of Wyoming and western Nebraska.

Current Wind Chills

The cold is now spreading into parts of the South and East, although temperatures will not be as far below average in those regions as we are seeing in the northern Plains. It could also set the stage for some wintry weather in those regions.
(MORE: Winter Storm Helena a Snow and Ice Threat in the South)

Chilly Forecast Details

The arctic air will spread a little farther south and east each day through the end of the week.
By the weekend, below-average temperatures should cover much of the Lower 48 states. Even Florida will feel the chill of colder temperatures by Sunday morning.
(MORE: When Is the Coldest Time of the Year?)

Forecast Highs Compared to Average Friday

The worst of the cold, however, appears likely to remain locked into the northern Plains and Rockies, with highs remaining well below average into the weekend. Some places won't even reach zero degrees through Saturday, especially across parts of Montana, North Dakota and northern Minnesota.
(FORECAST: Missoula, Montana | Fargo, North Dakota | International Falls, Minnesota)
Since high temperatures will be so cold, you can bet on low temperatures being even more frigid.

Forecast Lows

Morning lows will continue to reach the teens and 20s below zero in the coldest locations of the northern Plains and Rockies into this weekend. These readings are 20 to 40 degrees colder than average for this time of year.
Although the air mass will be bitter cold, no widespread record lows are forecast at this time.
Wind chills will reach dangerously cold levels, placing you at risk for frostbite or hypothermia if you are outdoors and not properly bundled up. Early morning wind chills will fall into the 20s, 30s or possibly even the 40s below zero in the northern Rockies, northern Plains and upper Midwest through the end of the week.
(MORE: What Does Wind Chill Really Mean?)

Rockies, Plains Forecast This Weekend

This cold reality check won't be quite as bitter in the East as it is over the rest of the country.
However, it will be a noticeable temperature change in the East, with temperatures 20 to 30 degrees colder compared to earlier this week, when high and low temperatures were 10 to 25 degrees warmer than average.

Five Day Forecast

High temperatures will be up to 20 degrees colder than average in the East this weekend, and lows will be up to 30 degrees below average on Monday morning. This translates into highs in the teens and 20s for the Northeast and 30s and 40s for the South, with the exception of Florida.
(FORECAST: New York City | Washington, D.C. | Atlanta | Jacksonville, Florida)

Forecast Lows

Lows on Sunday and Monday will plunge into the single digits and teens from New England into northern Georgia. Temperatures will reach the freezing mark as far south as northern Florida.
Warmer temperatures are expected to return next week, first in the West by late this weekend and then in the East by midweek.
For more details on what the rest of January may bring, check out our January outlook.

MORE: Coldest Places on Earth