Coldest Air in 4 years for the Charlotte area
Arctic air is invading the country this week and most areas will see the coldest air in over 4 years. The Charlotte region hasn’t seen an arctic outbreak like this since 2005. That was the last time we had a high temperatures below the freezing mark. In January 29, 2005 we only had a high of 30 degrees with 1″ of snowfall on that date. This Friday we won’t get the snow but we won’t make it to freezing either. I’m forecasting a high of only 29 degree as the heart of the Arctic air mass will be settling right on top of the Carolinas. Saturday morning we will see a low near 9 above zero a number we haven’t seen either since January 2005. The reason for the arctic outbreak is record snow cover for the northern hemisphere as almost 1.37 million square kilometers more snow cover than the 4th week of January last year, the previous record.
This massive amount of snow cover has allowed huge areas of arctic air to build up over the Alaska, Canada and Siberia which then moves south as the jet stream buckles. Temperatures in Alaska have been brutally cold with Fairbanks being in the -30 to -60 range for the past 4 weeks. One reading in Siberia was as cold as -90 and that air mass is on the move. The snow cover over the mid-west and great lakes helps to keep the air mass cold as it moves south. Normally this air would modify or warm-up a little on the way south but as it travels over snow pack it stays cold.
The result is a cold outbreak that will last into early next week. High temperatures will only be in the 30s and lows in the teens and single digits. The other thing to watch is for the possibility of low pressure developing along the end of the arctic air in the Gulf of Mexico or along the east coast. These storms often form when arctic air hits the warmer water of the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Stream and often can bring snow to the mid-south. Something we’ll be watching carefully in the first Warn Storm Center.
