A map of the North-Central United States shows various weather advisories. The purple sections represent gale warnings, which are for extreme winds, and the tan sections represent wind advisories. Green represents flooding and blue represents extreme cold. (AccuWeather)
The North-Central region of the United States faced extreme cold early Thursday and Friday morning, with some cities hitting an AccuWeather RealFeel® temperature of less than minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
National Weather Service (NWS) forecaster for the Weather Prediction Center Bob Oravec told AccuWeather in a phone interview that these areas are experiencing, “the coldest temperatures of the year.”
Several daily temperature records were broken and tied across the region as the week drew to a close, including some dating all the way back to 1936. The mercury dropped to minus 18 degrees F in New Hampton, Iowa, tying a long-standing record from 1936.
The temperature plummeted to minus 32 degrees F in Hibbing, Minnesota, on Friday morning, beating the old record low for Feb. 14 of minus 31 degrees F set in 1970. Preston, Minnesota, bottomed out at minus 35 degrees F on Friday morning, shattering its previous record of minus 17 degrees F for the date set in 2007.
Oravec said it can be tough to break records in the Upper Midwest during this time of the season and explained that while this week's weather has been the coldest of the season for many locations, this winter has generally been much warmer than average for a large portion of the country, including across the North-Central states.
The NWS reported that temperatures got as low as minus 35 degrees F in Cataract, Wisconsin, and Cotton, Minnesota, not accounting for windchill. With wind added as a factor, Oravec reported that many places throughout the region were minus 30 to minus 40 degrees F, with the peak being minus 42 degrees F recorded in Cataract.
Temperatures in the North-Central United States, captured at approximately 11 a.m. on Feb. 14, 2020. The weather has continued to rise since sunrise. (AccuWeather)
The lowest recorded AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures in the region were mainly located in eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota, according to meteorologist Paul Walker.
Various places in the area were still being recorded as being in the minus 30s and minus 40s at 12 p.m. CST, including Grafton, North Dakota, which was recorded as having a RealFeel® temperature of minus 46 degrees F. Grand Forks, North Dakota, was also recorded as reaching minus 41 degrees F at one point.
Oravec said Friday is the second day in a row for these temperatures in Wisconsin and Minnesota, which peaked just before sunrise at around 6-7 a.m. local time. Throughout the day, temperatures began to rise.
He said Thursday held a number of winter weather advisories for windchill, but come Friday morning the region under advisory was much more sparse, only containing parts of eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota.
Sun halo in Fargo, North Dakota, on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. This phenomenon can occur in extremely cold conditions. (Twitter/Ben Balas @bjbalas)
Looking forward, Oravec said the lows on Saturday will be much higher, and Walker said he believes the blast of cold will only last 24 to 36 hours in total.
“Some of the areas that were 30 to 40 below zero this morning and the previous morning are going to be in the teens for low temperatures, which is above average actually,” Walker explained.
Saturday highs in the region will be in the low 30s, which is also above average.
Come Sunday, the temperature could get down to the minus teens, but Oravec said the next round of cold air moving into the area will be nothing like the one that just occurred.
Walker said the reason for this sudden burst of cold in the region is due to air flow coming from Alaska and Canada, while the majority of the season has seen air flow traveling from west to east, drawing in air originating from the Pacific Ocean. The source of cold air can make a big difference, he added.
Walker said the harsh weather conditions can be dangerous, and suggests people remain cautious when going outside.
"You want to be protected from the wind because of frostbite," Walker said.
In order to stay safe in the bitter cold, he suggests limiting amount of time spent outdoors and making sure to cover all exposed skin when going out.
“People that have lived there are accustomed to having temperatures like this,” Oravec said. “… [although] I’m sure it’s not pleasant.”;;
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
No comments:
Post a Comment