Parts Of The US Are About To Experience Ridiculously Cold Temperatures They Haven't Felt In Years

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/parts-of-the-us-are-about-to-experience-ridiculously-cold-temperatures-that-they-havent-felt-in-years-2013-12



HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A wintry storm pushing through the western half of the country is bringing bitterly cold temperatures that prompted safety warnings for residents in the Rockies and threatened crops as far south as California.

The jet stream is much farther south than normal, allowing the cold air to push in from the Arctic and drop temperatures by 20 to 40 degrees below normal levels, AccuWeather meteorologist Tom Kines said Tuesday.

Areas of Montana and the Dakotas were forecast to reach lows in the minus-20s, while parts of California could see the thermometer drop to the 20s. The icy arctic blast was expected to be followed by another one later in the week, creating an extended period of cold weather that hasn't been seen since the late 1990s, meteorologists said.

Officials warned residents to protect themselves against frostbite if they are going to be outside for any length of time.



Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/parts-of-the-us-are-about-to-experience-ridiculously-cold-temperatures-that-they-havent-felt-in-years-2013-12#ixzz2mVH6dx8d

[Le Taz Hot]

1. Forecast for California's Central San Joaquin Valley

is for 28 degrees tonight and Thursday and 27 degrees Sunday night. There will be some bleary-eyed citrus farmers around here.

[newfie11]

2. To make it feel worse

We've had near 60 degree weather for the most part of last week here in the Black Hills.
I don't want to know what it is outside now.
Gotta feed the horses when the sun comes up BURRRR.
Edit:
It's 7 right now, wind chill -10 to -20 but only 3 to 8 inches of snow predicted.

[KG]

3. 70's in FL. ha!

[maddezmom]

5. 70 here in TX today and tomorrow but by Friday down to high 40's

[newfie11]

6. We had to laugh a year ago when in Tampa

We were coming out of the motel in just sweatshirts thinking what great weather it was. We encountered a person ( hard to tell what sex) completely bundled up in a massive parka, gloves, and face mask.
People had been complaining how cold it was but this person was the only one we saw dressed like that.

[maddezmom]

9. I see it here all the time, too

Am originally from upstate NY so I know cold but some folks here get out the ugg's, scarfs and winter coats if it drops under 60.

[kydo]

11. that would have been me

Ok not in Tampa but the Orlando area. And like yea! When it's 68F I'm in sweat shirt. At 64F I break out the long undies and start layering. (Think Ralphie's brother in A Christmas Story without the snow but palm trees)

[center][/center]

I'm completely miserable and useless for the two weeks in late Jan early Feb when Central Fl hovers in that over night freeze time. And I used to live in the likes of Denver, Upper Pen of Michigan, Upstate New York (Ballston Spa/Saratoga Springs), Maine and New Hampshire.

You all can have your cold weather. I've been there done that and moved south.

[newfie11]

15. +1

[darkangel218]

18. +1000

[KurtNYC]

13. Know why thermometers in L.A. have a red line at 55 degrees?

A: Because that's "FREEZING!"

[whttevrr]

22. +1

As a kid I would play in the snow the whole day. The morning was about shoveling driveways for extra cash and meeting up with cohorts. Then would be throwing snowballs at each other... then we would throw snowballs at the older kids so that they would chase us up the hill where our other friends were hiding...

AMBUSH!!!!


Rinse, repeat, collapse in exhaustion.

That was then, this is now.

Where is my warm sunshine!? 55 degrees is now crazy cold! I've been in L.A. too long to ever go back. They can keep their snow. If I ever feel the need to see snow again there is always some a couple hours away by car. I've not seen the need to experience freezing temperatures in... holy shit... DECADES!


bbbrrr...

Now I have to turn up the heat! Ugh! It's 50 degrees outside!

[TBF]

25. I went out earlier this week and bought

a few cold-weather vests, sweaters and tops with the sales. I heard the forecast and figured I better be prepared.

I grew up in Wisconsin but after 25 years in warmer climates I am not used to the cold air anymore.

[dipsydoodle]

4. By coincidence

one of my banjo buddies is lives in Helena MT and I do get the odd weather report from him aside from banjo related stuff.

[NickB79]

7. These temperatures were NORMAL 20-30 years ago

The only reason they feel so horribly cold today is because, due to climate change, they have become more and more rare as the years go by. What once occurred every other year or so now occurs once per decade or so. At this rate, my grandkids 30 years from now will be lucky to experience below-zero winters at all.

Fuck, I remember -40F AIR TEMPERATURE in 1996 on the farm in central Minnesota. With the windchill, it was almost -60! Up near the Canadian border, Tower and Embarrass, MN both hit -60F AIR TEMP in that cold snap!

[HereSince1628]

12. Bemidji is without doubt the coldest place I've live in the US.

Many people don't grasp just how cold the central part of the continent can be in winter.

You are correct that the cold itself isn't unprecedented, but, there is another part of climate change which is effecting both the southward extent and the eastern progression of these dips in the polar jet. These features of climate change are why European climatologists worry about deepening cold winters for the British Isles. With no east-west mountain range between the US and the Arctic the center of the N. Am continent is also vulnerable to the increase in these same sort of dips.

What's particularly problematic is the increase in stalling events in the eastward progression of these kinks in the northern jet. Back just a few decades ago these dips in the jet would stick around for 3-5 days, now it's getting common for them to stall out and last for weeks.

Let's hope this one keeps moving.

[madokie]

8. We're one of them

I started one of the generators up yesterday and let it run a while. Today I'll start the other two I have and let them run a while just in case. Why do I have 3 generators? I bought them needing something at such a good price I couldn't pass them up. All three are good, used very little, generators too. Family members will use the other two that I won't be using if need be.

[LWolf]

10. We aren't scheduled to get out of the 20s

until sometime next week, with highs staying in the teens on some days and dipping a few times into negative temperatures. It says "chance of snow," and I'll hope for that, because snow helps insulate the ground and I don't want my pipes freezing up.

[MineralMan]

14. Time to break out the big parka,

the insulated boots, and the flannel-lined jeans, I guess. It's snowing here in St. Paul, MN this morning, and the temps are going to plummet tonight. When it stops snowing, I'll go out and clear the driveway and my sidewalks for the first time this year.

As an old California guy, it took me one winter to get used to it. Now that I've been here for 9 years, it's just another Minnesota winter.

Everyone bundle up good, now.

[Katashi_itto]

16. Heavy fog here at Michoud, New Orleans

[Orrex]

17. Looks like a bone-chilling 40° where I live. Better stoke the furnace!

[krispos42]

19. A couple of months early

It gets that cold, but usually in January and February, not early December.

I've personally seen -34°F... I could hear my coat stiffening up!

[BelgianMadCow]

20. "The jet stream is much farther south than normal" - oh shit

that's the recipe of last year's Winter from Hell over here in Europe. Had to do with the arctic heating, producing a stronger arctic high. I so hope we don't have that as the new normal, I won't be able to pay the heating bill.

[Javaman]

21. Weirdly 85 degree dept predicted for today here in Austin, but tomorrow...

a drop down into the 30s and in the 20's for friday.

Brrrr....

Got to get the wood ready for the fireplace tonight.

[yellowcanine]

23. Ammunition for the GW skeptics who confuse weather with climate

[nadinbrzezinski]

26. You beat me to it

[JCMach1]

24. 79 and sunny for at least 5 days here in Florida :)

[enlightenment]

27. Supposed to drop down into the 20s

at night for the rest of the week here - Southern Nevada. Not unheard of, but not common, certainly. The birds are already freaking out; when I stepped out this morning I thought I'd been dropped into a Hitchcock film. Today we'll be making some emergency boxes for the feral/stray cats that come into our yard (we've been trying to trap, but they're wily), so we want to make sure that at least a few have a warm (ish) place to go during the night.

[elleng]

28. and mid 50s - 60s in Maryland.

[ananda]

29. Here in Austin it's relatively warm right now..

.. but we're due for a cold front soon.

We just finished a cold spell last week, too.

[Xithras]

30. Chatterboxes on TV this morning acted like the world was ending. It was 34 degrees outside.

Gotta love California