View pictures in App save up to 80% data.
January has delivered a bitterly cold experience for numerous residents in the central and eastern regions, and the arrival of the "Siberian Express" is set to intensify the icy conditions as we approach the weekend and the upcoming week.
First up, a temperature roller coaster this week. A bout of arctic air currently entrenched over the Midwest and Northern and Central Plains will sweep toward the Northeast through Wednesday. Low temperatures will sometimes be 10 to 25 degrees below average into midweek.
Following this event, the Plains and Midwest are expected to experience significant warming, with temperatures reaching 10 to 20 degrees above the seasonal norm by Thursday and Friday. This will result in afternoon highs climbing into the relatively mild (for January) range of the 30s and 40s across many regions.
View pictures in App save up to 80% data.
The "Siberian Express" arrives this weekend. When arctic air spills into the U.S. during winter it can have one of multiple source regions. That includes Arctic Canada, Alaska, and in the case what lies ahead this weekend and early next week, Russia's Siberia region. Sometimes meteorologists call this the "Siberian Express" because of the cold air's geographic origins.
Siberia ranks among the coldest places on the planet. For instance, several areas in the region recorded temperatures plunging close to minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the 24-hour period leading up to Monday morning in the U.S. Such extreme cold is a common occurrence during the winter months in Siberia.
Considering the frigid origins, arctic air from this area can deliver a powerful impact as it moves southward into Canada and the United States.
View pictures in App save up to 80% data.
How frigid temperatures might become. In general, some locations might see their coldest lows of winter so far, while for others it might rival what they have already seen.
Minneapolis may experience its first double-digit below-zero temperature of the season early next week.
Chicago and Denver could experience their initial sub-zero temperatures of the season.
Please remember that this forecast is several days out, so the low temperatures for Sunday through next Tuesday may change. We will provide more updates on the forecast later this week.
Another undeniable fact is that wind chills will once again pose a threat to many starting early next week.
View pictures in App save up to 80% data.
January's cold start is notable for one reason. Record-setting cold hasn't been widespread this month, but what we've seen so far plus what's to come makes it noteworthy from a persistence point of view.
For the first 11 days of the month, temperatures in many regions east of the Rockies were generally below the average, according to NOAA's analysis. Particularly significant was the observation that areas in the Plains, South, Ohio Valley, and mid-Atlantic experienced temperature drops of 5 degrees or more below the norm.
Aside from a short warm spell towards the end of this week, most of these regions will still experience the harsh effects of this chilly January trend as we move into the final days of the month.
View pictures in App save up to 80% data.