UPDATED: Deadly Cold Plagues U.S.

EXTREME CLIMATIC & WEATHER EVENTS
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DEADLY COLD REACHES THE HEARTS AND MINDS OTHER WARNING CALLS FAIL TO REACH – PROBABLY!

UPDATED @ 10:00UTC.

Parts of northeastern U.S. and Canada buried under 60+ cm (2 feet) of snow as deadly wind chill continues to plunge temperatures.

A massive blast of Arctic Air [aka “Polar Vortex”] is expected to plunge temperatures by up to 60 degrees (F) below average from the Northern/ Central High Plains to the Upper Mississippi Valley.

• Hard Freeze Warnings, Freeze Warnings and multiples of other Weather Hazard Warnings, Watches and Advisories are in effect throughout the eastern two-thirds of the country, extending into the deep South and spanning along almost the entire Gulf Coast.

“It may feel as cold as negative 50 to negative 60 on Sunday night over sections of the north-central states,” said a meteorologist  with NWS.

“In those conditions, frost bite sets in on exposed skin within five minutes. A person not properly dressed could die easily in those conditions.”

The mega winter storm is said to be the worst in two decades, caused by a “polar vortex.”

“It’s just a large area of very cold air that comes down, forms over the North Pole or polar regions; [it] usually stays in Canada, but this time it’s going to come all the way into the eastern United States,” said a meteorologist  with NWS.

• Heavy snow has paralyzed large parts of the northeast and Canada, claiming up to two dozen lives, grounding at least 6,000  flights and delaying twice as many since Thursday, and shutting down transport systems.

Schools and government offices have been forced  to close throughout the states of New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The governors of New York and New Jersey have declared states of emergency on Thursday and have since advised residents to stay at home.

• The mayor of Bridgeport also  declared a state of emergency.
• Boston Declared a Snow Emergency.

U.S. Weather Hazards Map

U.S. Weather Hazards Map (Hazmap)  for Sunday, January 5, 2014. Source: NWS. Map Enhanced by FIRE-EARTH. UPDATE

“The last really big Arctic outbreak was 1994,” said a forecaster with NWS. “Outbreaks like this don’t occur every day.”

Record-breaking cold expected over much of Eastern U.S. (NWS)

“The coldest weather in years will be making its presence known from the Upper Mid-West to the Mid-Atlantic region,” said the US National Weather Service (NWS), adding that Ohio, South Dakota and Illinois would be among the worst-hit areas.

Incredibly Cold and Possibly Record Breaking Temperatures, Heavy Snow and Ice Are Expected for the Eastern Two-Thirds of the Country Through Next Week.

Potentially record breaking cold temperatures will continue dropping through the northern-tier states today. As the airmass moves into the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, moderate to heavy snow will be possible on Sunday. With cold air already entrenched over much of the eastern U.S., freezing rain is possible from the Deep South, along the Appalachians into New England for the next couple of days.

Wind chill is forecast to plunge the effective temperatures to as low as -51ºC (-60 degrees) in the Midwest.

U.S. Daily Lowest Min Temperature Records set January 1 – 3, 2014

• 65  records Broken, 14  tied
  

On Friday, temperature plunged to -45ºC  (-49.0 degrees) in Van Buren, Maine, breaking a previous record of -35.6ºC ( -32.1 degrees) set in 1999,  said NCDC.

National High and Low Temperature (for the contiguous United States)

High Temperature for Thursday, January 4, 2014

• 76 degrees (24.4ºC) at Miami, FL
• 76 degrees at Kingsville, TX
• 76 degrees at Alice, TX

Low Temperature for Thursday, January 4, 2014

• -36 degrees (-37.8ºC) at Big Black River, ME

Issued 7 pm EST Thursday, January 4, 2014 – NWS Weather Prediction Center, College Park, MD

Temperature spread:  112 degrees  [The spread remains inconsistent.  Editor]

Related Links

• Deadly Cold Plagues U.S. January 5, 2014
• States of Emergency Declared in New York, New Jersey January 3, 2014
• Major Winter Storm to Batter Midwest, Northeast January 2, 2014