Another cold day is expected before milder air returns this week
Millions of people across the United States have to deal with another day of frigid temperatures, but some relief is on the way.
A renewed wave of arctic air swept across the eastern United States over the weekend, leaving tens of millions in frigid weather. While this increase in frigid air is not as cold as the previous Arctic outbreak that produced several records across the Plains and lower Mississippi Valley last week, this increase has sent temperatures 20 to 30 degrees colder than the FOX Forecast Center said. Thursday.
The morning sunrise over the city skyline and the frozen waters of Lake Michigan on Montrose Beach on January 16, 2024 in Chicago. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service/Getty Images)
The recent cold weather has killed dozens across the United States and affected Amtrak services, with more than a dozen flights canceled Thursday. By Sunday morning, tens of millions of Americans were under some type of wind chill warning extending from the Midwest to Florida.
Wind chills overnight from Saturday into Sunday morning across the northern Plains and Midwest were well below zero, falling to -13 in Minneapolis and Kansas City, Missouri, and -7 in Chicago. But single-digit wind chills spread to the East and South, where it felt as cold as 7 degrees in New York City while wind chills were 0 degrees in Memphis and 4 in Atlanta.
Dallas residents found temperature-like temperatures around 22 degrees, and even North Florida felt like it was below freezing.
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Cities from the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic, Northeast and New England will struggle to get above freezing on Sunday, if they can get that “high.”
Minneapolis, Chicago and Detroit will remain in the lower to mid 20s on Sunday, with similar temperatures farther east in Pittsburgh and Syracuse, New York. New York City should hover around the freezing mark on Sunday, but cities in New England will likely stay below that. Boston, for example, will be around 26 degrees on Sunday.
In the South, temperatures will range from around 32 degrees in Nashville to the mid to upper 30s from Oklahoma City to Dallas, as well as Little Rock, Arkansas.
Temperatures are expected to reach the mid to upper 40s along the Gulf Coast from Houston to New Orleans.
When will the cold wave end?
Temperatures start to moderate on Sunday, and by Tuesday the cold will be just a memory. The Fox Forecast Center said that next week will witness a major change in the prevailing weather across the United States. The days of arctic air and widespread snow will end, replaced by mild temperatures and widespread rain.
The driving features will be two strong areas of high pressure. The first will be established off the southeast coast. Winds around the high will send warmer air from the Gulf of Mexico north across much of the eastern United States
The end of Arctic air is in sight with January's thaw days remaining
The other will stand off the coast of California, where its winds pull mild Pacific air farther west.
Temperatures will rise by 20-30 degrees compared to last week, returning to being higher than average for this time of year.
As moisture flows north from the Gulf of Mexico, it will encounter a storm system that will swing outside the Four Corners, the Fox Forecast Center said. This will lead to increased rain that will increase quickly Monday and Tuesday in parts of the southern Plains and in the lower Mississippi Valley.
Frequent heavy rains can lead to flash floods. The rain will be accompanied by sounds of thunder, a big change for places where temperatures have been well below freezing since last week.
