Eastern US to be blasted by frigid arctic air as millions prepare for dangerously cold temperatures
Computer forecast models don’t show the cold air being as cold as the historic levels they were showing a few days ago, but the cold air could still be dangerous.
Cold temperatures creep into Lower 48 ahead of arctic blast next week
America's coldest weather so far this winter will send temperatures tumbling in nearly 40 states. The main push of dangerously cold air will move in starting Monday next week.
The new year is getting off to a dangerously cold start as millions of Americans across the eastern half of the U.S. prepare to be blasted by rounds of frigid arctic air that are expected to send temperatures tumbling as far as Florida and Texas.
The FOX Forecast Center said cold air originating from Canada is currently infiltrating the Plains region and is expected to move east.
(FOX Weather)
The incoming cold isn’t expected to be as significant as what’s in store next week, but it will be a shock to the system after millions of people enjoyed mild air over the past few weeks.
By this weekend, more than 225 million people from the northern Plains to the Northeast and New England and south to Florida will be feeling the chill as temperatures fall 5-15 degrees below average.
By next week, a significant arctic outbreak will send temperatures plummeting across the eastern half of the U.S., and the air will be the coldest of the season so far.
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(FOX Weather)
The FOX Forecast Center said the frigid air will be widespread and extend into the Deep South, Florida and South Texas.
The main push of the cold air looks to move in during the Jan. 6-14 timeframe, with the peak of the cold occurring around Jan. 8 through at least the first part of next weekend.
Temperatures could fall 20-30 degrees below average, leading to below-zero temperatures across the northern tier and maybe as far as the Ohio Valley.
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That cold air will also be accompanied by wind chills that will make it feel even colder.
The FOX Forecast Center said that below-freezing temperatures are possible as far south as the Gulf Coast and much of the Florida Peninsula.
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Perhaps some good news is that computer forecast models don’t show the cold air being as cold as the historic levels they were showing a few days ago, but the cold air could still be dangerous.
Unfortunately, the FOX Forecast Center said that the cold air will persist for the next few weeks, perhaps into the end of January.
This means that the eastern U.S. could be seeing its first colder-than-average January since 2022, and possibly even the coldest since 2014 or 2011.