Anything that could freeze up…

EXTREME CLIMATIC & WEATHER EVENTS
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Polar Vortex Helps Shatter North America Temperature Records

275 U.S. Daily Lowest Min Temperature Records broken, 69 others tied January 1 – 6, 2014, according to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).

Partial Map of the U.S. showing all but two of the 344 Daily Lowest Min Temperature Records broken or tied between 1 and 6 January, 2014. Source: NCDC.

Affected Areas

Daily temperature records were shattered across the US, including in the states of Alabama (tied), Arkansas, California (tied), Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts,  Michigan,  Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon (tied), Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

How Cold?

Temperatures were as much as 35 degrees  (19.4ºC) below normal in a vast region extending from the Midwest to the Southeast, said the National Weather Service (NWS).

On January 5, FIRE-EARTH Models showed that the Arctic storm would affect about 250 million people in 40 states.

Major U.S. cities reported frigid conditions on Monday and early Tuesday. The lowest temperatures recorded were

• Boston: 15ºF (-9º C)
• Chicago:  2ºF (-17ºC)
• Cleveland: –11ºF (-24ºC), shattering a 130-year-old record
• Detroit:  0ºF (-18ºC)
• New York (Central Park): 4ºF (-16ºC)
• Pittsburgh 5ºF (-15ºC)
• Washington 19 (minus 7 C)

Even Hell, Michigan, froze over with temperatures plunging to as low as 1ºF (-17ºC).

Those  temperatures felt a lot colder due to wind chill factor.

[Temperatures inside household freezers are typically between 0ºF and 14ºF (−18ºC and −10ºC). Editor]

Low Temperature Map of the U.S. Source: NWS

National High and Low Temperature (for the contiguous United States) Issued 7pm EST Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Low Temperature

• -35 degrees (-37ºC) at Embarrass, MN
• -35 degrees at Brimson, MN

High Temperature

• 75 degrees (24ºC) at San Pasqual Valley, CA

Source: NWS Weather Prediction Center, College Park, MD

National temperature spread: 110 degrees (61ºC)

Flight Cancellations and Delays

In Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport about 60 percent of the flights were canceled on Tuesday as fuel supplies froze, leaving crews unable to fill aircraft tanks.

Total flight cancellations on Saturday:  1,771 (from or into the U.S., 1,507)
Total flight cancellations on Sunday: 3,905  (US: 3,517)
Total flight cancellations on Monday: 4,459 (US: 4,018)
Total cancellations on Tuesday: 3,274 (US: 2,688)
Total Flight delays for the period, as of posting:  57,100 (US: 32,290)
More than 800 (US: 513)  flight cancellations and 1,300 (US: 110) delays were reported on Wednesday, as of posting (06:30UTC).
(Source: FlightAware.com)

Related Links and Chronology

• More Extreme Weather Events to Hit North America Posted by feww on January 7, 2014
• 2014: Year Five of Human-Enhanced Natural Disasters  January 1, 2014
• Major Winter Storm to Batter Midwest, Northeast January 2, 2014
• States of Emergency Declared in New York, New Jersey January 3, 2014
• Climate and Weather Extremes Plaguing the World January 4, 2014
• Deadly Cold Plagues U.S. January 5, 2014
• UPDATED: Deadly Cold Plagues U.S. January 5, 2014
• Giga Arctic Blast Affecting 250 Million in 40 States January 5, 2014
• States of Emergency Declared in NW Indiana, Tennessee January 6, 2014