Millions brace for ‘Mother Lode’ of cold air, but change looks set for Central, Eastern America

Extremely cold air is building across northern Canada this week and is poised to move southeast over large parts of the central and eastern United States in the coming days. However, AccuWeather forecasters say some changes in the pattern will begin to emerge next week, which will push the coldest air out of the US before Christmas.

“There’s a large area of ​​air in northwestern Canada where temperatures are 20 to 30 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, and it’s moving southeast into the U.S.,” AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Reno said. “It’s the mother of cold air and it’s a word I don’t use lightly.”

Cold air will be uncomfortable and potentially dangerous for people in the Midwest on the Northern Plains, although temperatures may not be quite as extreme as they are farther north in Canada.

“The coldest air of the season so far is on the way for the Midwest, Tennessee Valley and much of the Appalachians,” AccuWeather Chief Long Range Meteorologist Paul Pestelok said.

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In Minneapolis, actual temperatures may fail to climb above zero and will be surrounded by lows between 10 and 20 degrees below zero Friday night and Saturday night. AccuWeather RealFeel® The temperature may drop 10-20 degrees or more below the actual temperature. “Those without exposure or shelter in these conditions, especially with murky air, can develop hypothermia or frostbite in less than 30 minutes,” Pastelok said.

Temperatures in Chicago on Saturday could barely reach single digits then drop below zero Saturday night. “Realfill temperatures in Chicago are forecast to stay below zero all weekend,” Pastelok said.

The upcoming Arctic outbreak and several cold blasts in recent weeks are driven by the displacement or weakening of the polar vortex.

Thick arctic air will circulate in the lowest part of the atmosphere and may struggle to climb over the Appalachians. However, even in areas east of the mountains as far away as Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City and Boston, temperatures will reach lows by the middle of this week. If the storm brings the first snowfall of the season to these areas this weekend, the stage could be set for temperatures to drop east of the Appalachians as well.

“A cold front, triggered by the recent disruption of the polar vortex, will take hold over much of the Central and Eastern U.S. through next week,” Pastelok said. “Millions of families will struggle with high heating bills with furnaces, baseboards and heat pumps running frequently to keep homes warm in bitter cold.” Pipes in unheated areas are at risk of freezing and bursting.

Cold conditions ease before Christmas

The weather pattern is expected to change next week, adopting a more west-to-east orientation in the United States, however, it may take some time for the coldest air to leave, and there will still be some bursts of cold air in the central and eastern states, although not as extreme as the arctic outbreak of mid-December.

“It may feel like Christmas time with the cold and snow, but the bitter cold pattern is not expected to last through the holidays,” Pastelok said.

The massive snowpack still added to the clipper storm pattern this weekend is likely to be wiped out by high temperatures before Christmas.

“Just because it’s cold and snowy right now don’t think Christmas Day is going to be like this,” Pastelok said. “Skiers and snowboarders should take advantage of cooler air and fresher powder on open slopes in the Appalachians. Ski and boarding conditions could worsen during Christmas week as warm air moves in.”

Meanwhile, those wanting warmth, or at least thoughts of warmth, this weekend can see much of the Florida peninsula and west of the Rockies, except for flooded areas in California’s Central Valley or the Pacific Northwest.

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