weather.com meteorologists
A prolonged arctic outbreak that is setting records in the Plains and Midwest could finally ease up some later this week or next weekend.
This cold saga kicked into gear in the Plains and Midwest during February's first weekend and has now intensified and grown more expansive across the central U.S.
Current Wind ChillsOn Saturday, a location in northeast Minnesota reported a low of minus 50 degrees. That has preliminarily set a daily record low for the entire state for Feb. 13.
In some areas, this cold outbreak will go down in the record books for its longevity.
Saturday marked the fifth consecutive day Oklahoma City had an average temperature below 20 degrees. That ties 1983 and 1905 for the longest stretch of days below 20 degrees on record there, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecast
Dozens of more daily record lows and cold highs will be set early this week, especially through Tuesday. The potential for record cold stretches across a broad area from the upper Midwest southward to South Texas and the western and central Gulf coasts.
Some records, like the one shown in Dallas below, could be obliterated.
Subzero lows could occur as far south as parts of Oklahoma and northern Texas. Oklahoma City could plunge below zero for the first time in over four years and only the third time this century. Dallas could see a low near zero on Tuesday morning, which would be near an all-time record low.
Teens below zero are possible deep into Kansas and minus 20s are possible as far south as Nebraska.
Given the ferocity of the cold air, occasionally accompanied by winds, dangerously low wind chills are likely to persist. Limit time outside, and if you need to head outdoors, take precautions to cover your skin.
(MORE: What is the Wind Chill?)
Wind chill alerts have been issued by the National Weather Service for a broad area in the central U.S.
Wind Chill AlertsForecast highs – if you want to call them that – will struggle to rise much above zero in Kansas City and will likely be stuck in the single digits and teens from Amarillo, Texas, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to St. Louis into Tuesday.
When considering how far below average these temperatures are, this outbreak is even more impressive.
These teeth-chattering temperatures are 30 to 50 degrees colder than average for mid-February in parts of the Plains, from the Dakotas to Texas
In fact, nowhere else in the Northern Hemisphere – not even Siberia – will experience temperatures so far below average into Monday than in the central U.S. This shows up nicely in our departure-from-average highs map below.
(MORE: What You Need to Know When It Gets Ridiculously Cold)
Departure From Average Highs on MondayThere is some hint the ferocity of the cold could finally relent late this week or into next weekend.
Low temperatures will continue to remain below average, but not as extreme when compared to early in the week. Some additional daily record cold temperatures might continue to be set in south-central states as well, especially on Friday morning.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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