Topline
Most of the U.S. is set to plunge into a deep freeze this weekend that could bring many areas their coldest Christmas in decades, as forecasters also monitor a developing winter storm the National Weather Service warns “is likely to produce extensive travel delays before the holiday weekend.”
Most of the U.S. will deal with a frigid Christmas weekend.
Key Facts
A lobe of the polar vortex—an area of arctic cold air typically trapped near the poles—is forecast to break southward, unleashing a cold front later this week bringing Arctic air to the eastern two-thirds of the country.
Temperatures will be coldest in the Upper Midwest and High Plains, where forecasters expect wind chills to drop as low as -60 degrees, but well below-average temperatures will dominate much of the country.
Highs are expected to remain below freezing Friday for the central U.S. all the way down to the Gulf Coast: Houston is only forecast to top out at 29, while Memphis, Tennessee, should only hit 16 and St. Louis should have a high of 7.
A winter storm moving with the cold front across much of the U.S. will bring snowy conditions to the Midwest on Thursday before pushing into the Northeast on Friday, likely causing travel delays just ahead of Christmas.
Snow should end by Christmas Eve but temperatures are only expected to moderate a few degrees for most on Christmas Day, leaving most of the country below freezing for the entire holiday weekend.
What To Watch For
The deep freeze will lead to skyrocketing energy demand, which is a cause for concern in Texas, which dealt with catastrophic power outages during a winter storm in February of 2021. The state’s electric grid operator said it expects to have enough power to handle the coming cold snap. Deep South residents are also being urged to take precautions to keep exposed pipes from freezing, which are common on houses in the region.
Key Background
This year’s traditionally cold and snowy Christmas comes in contrast with last year’s, which was springlike for most of the country. Large swaths of the South sweltered with temperatures in the 80s, with a weather station in Rio Grande Village, Texas, hitting 94 degrees—setting a new national record for the hottest temperature ever on Christmas. The frigid conditions this year will likely not break a substantial amount of records across the country, but could come close, as the polar vortex funnels in cold air that has been trapped over Siberia. The cold weather comes at one of the busiest times for travel of the year. Around 113 million people are projected to travel at least 50 miles for the holiday, according to AAA, which is near pre-pandemic levels. The vast majority are expected to travel by road, but more than 7 million plan to fly.
Further Reading
Santa’s Bringing A Piece Of The Polar Vortex To Town – Prepare Now (Forbes)
Green Christmas: Springlike warmth to swell over Lower 48 (Washington Post)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/12/19/holiday-deep-freeze-historic-cold-snap-coming-for-christmas-across-much-of-us/