North American Weather (U.S.A & Canada)

[Dancerwithwings]

Exactly CC i dont why this forum is going bonkers over it..when we had wind chills close to -50c cpl weeks ago no one batted an eyelid

Probably because with the mild temps, wind and all the rain we are having atm, and yes in January remember,

People on here are looking for anything that's cold and the US is where its all happening atm.

Remember this is the UK, Not Canada/America.... Lucky sods

Edited January 6, 2014 by Dancerwithwings

[Dancerwithwings]

"Starts about 2min 30sec" Well while we are waiting then... Let's Dance

[Coast]

Arctic invader puts much of Midwest in deep freeze

 

Thousands of flights are canceled and Midwesterners are urged to stay home as a 'polar vortex' sends temperatures to record lows

 

 

A brutal "polar vortex" gripped much of the Midwest on Monday, pushing temperatures to record subzero lows, grounding more than 4,000 flights and prompting authorities to urge residents to stay home or go to emergency warming shelters. In Chicago, temperatures dropped to a record 16 degrees below zero at O'Hare International Airport on Monday, spawning a new National Weather Service Twitter hashtag: #Chiberia. Records also fell in Oklahoma, Texas and Indiana.

 

In Minneapolis, it was minus 18 — minus 40 with the wind chill — and the high was minus 12. Margaret Roth found herself stranded in the Twin Cities, where she had arrived from Florida for a wedding. It was so cold, she said, that the inside of her nose froze. "This is definitely not normal for me," said Roth, 25. "This is probably the coldest weather I've been in by 40 degrees."

 

Travel snags rippled across the country. More than 800 flights were canceled out of O'Hare, and JetBlue Airways halted all flights to and from New York and Boston. Flightaware.com said more than 4,000 flights into, out of and within the U.S. were canceled Monday, and more than 7,500 were delayed. Intracity travel suffered too. The Chicago area's regional commuter rail service, Metra, canceled more than two dozen evening trains because of electronics equipment that couldn't cope with the record cold.

 

Bitter weather even disrupted the U.S. Senate, which had planned a procedural vote on a measure to restore long-term unemployment benefits. With as many as 17 senators unable to get back to the capital, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) postponed the vote until Tuesday. Snow often accompanied the chill. Northern Indiana was virtually closed to road travel until early Monday afternoon. More than 50 people had been rescued from trapped cars on a snowy Interstate 65 a day earlier.

 

The cold alone presented problems for motorists. "We have a lot of vehicles right now that aren't starting," said Todd Heitkamp, a warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, S.D. With wind chill as low as 45 to 55 degrees below zero, Heitkamp said, "exposed flesh can freeze in five minutes. If a person isn't dressed properly, and they don't have a winter survival kit in their vehicle, and if they aren't prepared, they'll have to deal with the consequences thereafter."

 

Ryan Maue, a Florida-based meteorologist for the private weather service WeatherBELL, called the freeze a once-in-a-decade event because of its power and breadth. "It affects people that aren't used to cold right now," said Maue, speaking by phone from Tallahassee. "I'm in Florida right now, and they're issuing a wind chill advisory because it's going to go below freezing." Maue described the polar vortex as a lobe of dense, cold air that's normally bound in by a jet stream. This one headed south from the North Pole and brought a lot of wind with it.

 

"The polar vortex isn't this entity like a hurricane or nor'easter that develops and goes away," he said. "It's a normal feature that's part of the polar climate."  Because of a "multitude of factors," Maue said, a mass broke south and headed toward the U.S. The National Weather Service said the cold was heading east, and it predicted temperatures more than 20 degrees below normal Tuesday across much of the eastern half of the nation. Los Angeles, meanwhile, reached a high of 78 on Monday.

 

The Midwest's bitter cold even seemed to shatter common sense. After TV news reporters broadcast video of themselves throwing boiling water in the air and watching it turn to snow, scores of people tried it and posted the results on social media. "Threw a pot of boiling water in the air. Kids thought it was awesome. Do it, people," tweeted Jason DeRusha, a TV anchor in Minneapolis. But at least 50 people who tried it hurt themselves or others, a quick survey of Twitter showed. "So I did the thing where you make snow and not all the boiling water froze and now my head is burned," one user tweeted. Another tweeted a photo of a shirtless friend with his burned arm cooling in the sink.

 

 

 

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-0107-polar-vortex-20140107,0,5548599.story#ixzz2phFRZADa

[knocker]

Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog

[Coast]

Current conditions in the States:

 

 

Amazing spread of temps!

 

 

[Coast]

Frigid 'Polar Vortex' Cripples US for Second Straight Day

 

Deadly cold temperatures refused to loosen their grip on much of the country for a second straight day, spreading the bone-chilling weather this time to the Northeast and South.

 

Wind chill advisories and warnings today are in effect for 32 states from Montana to southern Florida today. Washington D.C. is expected to see its coldest morning in 18 years and if they get to 5 degrees today, it will tie a daily record low that was set 130 years ago. The wind chill in the nation's capital is expected to be eight below zero. Detroit is forecasting a high temperature of 1 degree below zero and a wind chill of minus 37 degrees.

 

The unrelenting cold will push wind chills in northern Florida to as low as 9 degrees and minus 6 degrees in Atlanta. In New York City just before dawn Tuesday, temperatures were in the single digits and the wind howled, sending commuters sucrrying down wind-swept streets. Relief is on the way as wind chill warnings are to expire today in the Midwest as the polar air begins to retreat north and temperatures will make a gradual upward climb through the end of the week.

 

In the Chicago area, authorities reported that four people died over the weekend while shoveling snow. Chicago saw a record low temperature of minus 16 degrees Monday, with wind chills making it feel like minus 48. Chicagoans have renamed their city "Chiberia," as Chicago is now colder than parts of Siberia. Thirty-seven people in Ohio were rushed to the emergency room because of cold-related problems. Dr. Jeffrey Smith says his Milwaukee emergency room at Aurora Sinai Medical Center has seen a slew of weather-related injuries, including many with frostbite. "Well really in as little as five minutes there can be damage to the skin. That's really when it starts with frostbite," Smith said.

 

Schools in Minneapolis and Chicago will remained closed for a second straight day. School districts across the South, including those in Atlanta, Alabama, the Carolinas and north Florida will also be closed today. A state disaster declaration was issued Monday by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn due to Arctic temperatures not seen in two decades. Temperatures across the state are too low to use road salt, and even the diesel fuel in tow trucks is turning into gel.

 

Utility crews worked to restore power to more than 40,000 Indiana customers affected by the weekend storm and cautioned that some people could be in the cold and dark for days, according to The Associated Press. Indiana Gov. Mike Pence also issued a disaster declaration for his state. The gigantic mass of swirling dense air known as a "polar vortex" has traveled from the Arctic, and is to blame for the subfreezing temperatures throughout the country. Forecasters said some 187 million people could feel the effects of the "polar vortex" by the time it spreads across the country.

 

Officials in numerous cities checked on the homeless and shut-ins for fear they might freeze to death. Temperatures in Lakeville, Minn., are expected to drop to negative 21 degrees. Jill Fisette-Kes is homeless and forced to ride out the cold in her van since the local shelter won't allow her cats. "And I still got to make it through February and March. So then come April, according to my calendar, it warms up. I'll be okay," she said.

 

Roads already treacherous after heavy snow this weekend throughout the Midwest are only worsening with temperatures dipping to record lows, creating a dicey situation with black ice on the pavement. "It's been tough. Just about 40 miles-an-hour," said Gary Wilson who is trying to get to Pennsylvania from his home in northwest Indiana. "I got it locked in four-wheel drive and just taking my time. And there aren't many cars on the highway so things have been moving pretty good." Illinois State Police spokesman Ted Rose told ABC News Monday his district, in central Illinois, received nearly a thousand calls from stranded motorists. "As soon as we get the interstate open back up again, if you get two or three semis jackknifed, or even one jackknife across the roadway, it just shuts everything down," Rose said.

 

Air traffic was once again snarled Monday, following a weekend of travel disruption across the U.S. More than 4,500 flights were canceled Monday and 13,780 delays, according to FlightAware.com. More than 2,000 slights have already been canceled today and another 1,400 delayed, FlightAware.com report

 

 

http://abcnews.go.com/US/frigid-polar-vortex-cripples-us-straight-day/story?id=21444355

[Coast]

Current obs:

 

 

 

http://www.weather.gov/satellite

 

 

[Coast]

The storm so bad even Hell has frozen over

 

The extreme weather in the US has got so cold that even Hell has frozen over. Situated at the heart of the 'polar vortex' sweeping across the United States, the small town of Hell in Michigan (population: c.200) has reportedly got so cold temperatures have plunged to as low as -13C, with a wind chill of -33C. Bloomberg reporter Derek Wallbank tweeted: “It has literally frozen over.â€

 

The town of Hell is not thought to take its name from the fiery pit of eternal torment, but possibly from the German word “hellâ€, meaning bright, the terrible conditions encountered by early explorers, or a flippant comment by a settler. Several cities have come to a standstill across the Midwest and Northern Plains of the US, where the extreme cold, ice and snow has grounded thousands of flights and made travel almost impossible. People are being urged to stay inside and protect themselves from the coldest temperatures for two decades. Several people have died in the conditions, which can cause rapid hypothermia and frostbite. Temperatures have been recorded as low as -35°C and Arctic winds are blowing with a deadly chill of -50°C.

 

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-storm-so-bad-even-hell-has-frozen-over-9044252.html

[cyclonic happiness]

Exactly CC i dont why this forum is going bonkers over it..when we had wind chills close to -50c cpl weeks ago no one batted an eyelid

But you'd make a big deal if you started to get temps in the -80s like Antarctica? It's all relative.

 

Your houses and amenities are geared for cold, ours aren't.

 

You wouldn't be able to cope if the temps dropped to -100'f , but there'd be people on Neptune laughing and asking what all the fuss was about. :-D

[knocker]

Cold, hard facts Six things to know about the Arctic invasion

 

Bob Henson • January 6, 2014 | It’s hard to escape the cold weather now plowing into the eastern United States—especially if you turn on a TV or log onto Facebook. The big freeze is a compelling news story, with truly dangerous temperatures and wind chills extending into large swaths of the nation. Yet we’ve had worse: in some ways, this cold snap serves to illustrate how rare such intense events have become.

Amid all the hype, what stands out about this early winter onslaught?

 

http://www2.ucar.edu/atmosnews/opinion/10886/cold-hard-facts

[stewfox]

Exactly CC i dont why this forum is going bonkers over it..when we had wind chills close to -50c cpl weeks ago no one batted an eyelid

 

Not surprised eyelids would be frozen solid with that kind of wind chill

[laserguy]

Cold, hard facts Six things to know about the Arctic invasion

 

http://www2.ucar.edu/atmosnews/opinion/10886/cold-hard-facts

 

 

I knew straight away that this would lead directly to some tedious missive supporting global warming crapola.

[keithlucky]

I knew straight away that this would lead directly to some tedious missive supporting global warming crapola.

A preacher got to preach lol.

[knocker]

A preacher got to preach lol.

 

Next venue Gwennap Pit Saturday 11th. Deniers free entrance.

[cheeky_monkey]

But you'd make a big deal if you started to get temps in the -80s like Antarctica? It's all relative. Your houses and amenities are geared for cold, ours aren't. You wouldn't be able to cope if the temps dropped to -100'f , but there'd be people on Neptune laughing and asking what all the fuss was about. :-D

but its not -30c in the Uk we are talking about conditions in the US ..their amenities and houses are no different than Canada

[Gowon]

Cold, hard facts Six things to know about the Arctic invasion

 

http://www2.ucar.edu/atmosnews/opinion/10886/cold-hard-facts

 

 

Trust you knocks to always dig out something that relates extreme weather to AGW..

[Coast]

Current temps across the US:

 

[Coast]

US weather: all 50 states fall below freezing

 

All 50 of America’s states recorded temperatures below freezing at some point on Tuesday and even the polar bear at Chicago zoo spent most of the day indoors, as bitterly cold air gripped the country

 

Parts of the country which were not victims of the “Polar vortex†that afflicted swathes of the US none the less suffered abnormally chilly weather as US authorities declared it the coldest Jan 7 on record. The lowest temperature was reported at Embarrass, Minnesota, a township of just over 600 people, where the thermometer fell to -35F (-37C). Once the wind chill factor was taken into account, the temperature felt as low as -45F (-43C).

 

On Hawaii the weather station on Mauna Kea, the island’s highest mountain, recorded a temperature of 21F (-6C), and temperatures plummeted at all levels in the southern states of the US mainland.

“It’s not unprecedented, but it is unusual,†a spokesman for the US National Weather Service said. “Normally either Florida, Texas or Louisiana stays above freezing.â€

 

In Chicago, the zoo’s polar bear, Anana, which has less insulating fat than if it lived in the wild, was kept in its heated indoor enclosure all day on Monday and only ventured outside briefly yesterday as the thermometer fell to -16F (-27C). At least 21 people are believed to have died across the USA as a result of the cold blast which has crippled much of the country. According to the latest official figures 187 million people have been affected by the severe weather. Across the country wind chill warnings were in place for 32 states from Montana in the north to Florida in the south east.

 

School closures were reported from as far afield as Minneapolis and Chicago in the north to Atlanta and northern Florida in the south. The eastern seaboard, which had escaped the initial impact of the Polar vortex, was also affected. Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York state, closed swathes of the state highways as a precaution.

 

In Illinois the governor, Pat Quinn, declared a state of emergency as the state wrestled with the most severe temperatures in two decades. So cold was the temperature that water thrown into the air turned into ice before landing on the ground.

In Iowa, Tom Rauen became an internet sensation when he posted a film on YouTube showing a wet T-shirt turning into ice in a minute. “I thought, 'Why not do something a little different?’ and wondered what would happen if we froze a T-shirt? How long would it take to freeze? “I thought it would be cool if I could shape it into what it would look like if someone was wearing it. I left it standing up on the sidewalk for a while and when I brought it inside there was a little tear in it - just from it freezing, it had become it very brittle. I took the tear and just ripped the T-shirt in half like it was a piece of paper. It was crazy.â€

 

The cold weather in the south triggered fears the Florida citrus crop could be hit. America’s transport system continued to be hit. In Illinois, more than 500 passengers were stuck on three Amtrak trains overnight after they were trapped by the snow. Air travel was also hit with thousands of flights cancelled across the country. owever according to US weather forecasters the worst is over, with temperatures expected to climb slowly by the end of the week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10557293/US-weather-all-50-states-fall-below-freezing.html

 

[AderynCoch]

Cold, hard facts Six things to know about the Arctic invasion

 

http://www2.ucar.edu/atmosnews/opinion/10886/cold-hard-facts

 

The one thing which stands out for me in that article is how Russians are apparently finding their mild winter "extremely dull and depressing". It makes a nonsense of the flippant assumptions some people make about how coldies in this country would quickly get fed up of cold and snow if they had it all winter.

[East_England_Stormchaser91]

The one thing which stands out for me in that article is how Russians are apparently finding their mild winter "extremely dull and depressing". It makes a nonsense of the flippant assumptions some people make about how coldies in this country would quickly get fed up of cold and snow if they had it all winter.

That looks to soon change rapidly into next week. Perhaps brutal cold looks to hit E and N Europe in the coming future.

[cheeky_monkey]

Looks like we are in for a long mild spell of weather....at least a week of above freezing temps..could break 10c start - middle of next week...seems to be theme here that January can be very mild at times..in fact since i have been here only Jan 2011 was average or a little below...2010,12,13 and potentially 14 have been mild or very mild with little or no snow.

[Gaz1985]

Currently -41c in New York Central Park with "heavy blowing snow" but 3 miles away +27c in The Bronx and "clear sky"....... t shirt bbq weather, wow North America sure has it's extremes. 

Edited January 11, 2014 by Gaz1985

[Biggin]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10203136384594199

[knocker]

Cooler, drier weather behind cold front

[UV-RAY]

Currently -41c in New York Central Park with "heavy blowing snow" but 3 miles away +27c in The Bronx and "clear sky"....... t shirt bbq weather, wow North America sure has it's extremes. 

That's amazing if only we actually had a climate instead of mildness and drizzle nearly 12 months a year.