Complained that winters in the United States aren’t what they used to be?
Then, pay attention:
“Several waves of arctic air continue to gather over northern Canada with their sights set on the central and eastern United States in the coming days and weeks,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok.
The cold will enter the north-central U.S. on Friday (17), the National Weather Service warned, before spreading across much of the country over the weekend. Arctic air will plunge from the Northern Rockies and the Great Plains, crossing the Gulf Coast and the Midwest on Saturday night and the East Coast on Sunday night.
“And then it’s time to prepare for a long stretch of cold weather,” said the weather service. “By Tuesday, the entire country will be hit by extreme arctic cold. It seems that even parts of the west coast of Greenland – that island way up north that the new president has been talking about wanting to annex – will be warmer than Texas.
The Coldest Inauguration in 40 Years
Speaking of Trump, his inauguration, set to take place in Washington D.C. on Monday (20), is expected to be the coldest in 40 years.
The temperature on Inauguration Day at noon — when the president-elect takes the oath — is expected to be around 20 degrees Fahrenheit, about 20 degrees below normal for this time of year.
It will likely be the coldest Inauguration Day since President Ronald Reagan’s second inauguration in 1985, when the temperature at noon was 7 degrees Fahrenheit.
How Cold Will It Get?
As is typical, the coldest weather will be in the northern Plains and upper Midwest, where some spots may see high temperatures below zero Fahrenheit next Sunday and Monday. Low temperatures are expected to drop to 20 below zero or even lower.
The wind chill is expected to be even colder and more dangerous.
In New York City, highs will be in the 20s Fahrenheit next week and overnight lows in the 10s. “It’s possible that on at least one day, highs may struggle to reach 20 (degrees) and overnight temperatures could drop to single digits,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
Does this cold snap align with preseason winter forecasts?
The federal government’s winter forecast – which covered December, January, and February – predicted a warmer-than-average winter for the southern and eastern U.S. So far, January has been quite cold, especially in the eastern half of the country, but December was the fourth warmest on record nationally.
Sources: USA Today and CNN