Major winter storm to usher in Arctic blast for 230 million people
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Map showing projected temperature anomalies in the lower atmosphere on Wednesday, with widespread colder-than-average temperatures across Louisiana. Image: Pivotal Weather
The much-advertised, long-lasting Arctic outbreak with ties to the polar vortex will be accompanied by a significant winter storm over the weekend.
Threat level: The storm is set to deliver upwards of a foot of snow in parts of the Plains, Midwest and Appalachians, with somewhat lower amounts for Washington, D.C., Baltimore and potentially Philadelphia as well.
- Multiple states are forecast to see a destructive ice storm that could lead to widespread, enduring power outages. The ice zone will stretch from parts of Nebraska eastward to Kentucky and West Virginia.
- "Treacherous travel conditions are expected with power outages likely in areas that receive over a quarter-inch of ice accumulation," the National Weather Service said via X on Thursday evening.
By the numbers: As the storm exits late this weekend into early next week, Arctic air will be drawn southward out of Canada, sending temperatures plunging below 0°F, across the northern Plains and Upper Midwest.
- Temperatures may drop below freezing overnight as far south as the Gulf Coast next week.
- Fresh snow and ice cover will exacerbate the cold by efficiently radiating heat back into space overnight, and reflecting incoming solar energy during the day.
- During the next seven days — week one of an enduring cold snap that could stretch through Inauguration Day — 234 million people in at least 40 states could see temperatures at or below 32°F, according to WeatherBell Analytics.
- Some cities, including Washington, may not see high temperatures rise much above the mid-30s for several days in a row.
Between the lines: For most, the cold will be noteworthy for its duration rather than its severity, as computer models have backed off from earlier projections of historically low temperatures.
- For many U.S. residents, this event will bring the coldest air in several years, following a few unusually mild winters.
Context: This Arctic outbreak is tied in part to a stretching of the polar vortex, which is an area of low pressure in the upper atmosphere, and the air circulation around it, that forms each winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Other weather features, such as a strong high pressure area off the West Coast and Alaska, and another so-called "Blocking High" over Greenland, have opened the Arctic's refrigerator door.
- Some scientists have published studies linking rapid, human-caused Arctic climate change with shifts in the polar vortex, though this is part of an active debate.
Zoom out: The colder than average start to January across much of the U.S. is causing natural gas prices to spike.
- At the same time, Ukraine is limiting the transport of gas to Europe via Russia, which is raising prices in Europe.
