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'Minimize talking' outside: Polar vortex bears down on North as Deep South braces for snow
A major snowstorm that lashed parts of the Midwest on Monday will give way to record-smashing cold this week as a powerful polar vortex drives a deep freeze across the eastern half of the nation, forecasters said.
A snowstorm will wreak havoc across the Deep South on Tuesday.
The bitter cold will bring below-zero temperatures to a quarter of the continental USA. The National Weather Service in Des Moines, Iowa, warned that "this is the coldest air many of us will have ever experienced." The service said that if people go outside, they should "avoid taking deep breaths, and minimize talking."
Schools could be closed in Iowa as buses may struggle to start, the weather service said.
Wednesday could be the coldest day ever recorded in Chicago – a forecast high of 14 below zero, the weather service said. There's a chance the Windy City will break its all-time coldest temperature record of 27 degrees below zero. Chicago's famous Brookfield Zoo will be closed Wednesday and Thursday for only the fourth time in its 85-year history.
"Some locations in the Midwest will be below zero continuously for 48-72 hours," according to AccuWeather meteorologist Mike Doll.
Chicago Faces Colder-Than-Arctic Blast Nearing All-Time Record
It could be warmer above the Arctic Circle than in Chicago by Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to fall in the Windy City to 20-to-25 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus-29 to minus-32 Celsius).
New York and Washington will be warmer, with a bit of snow.
Chicago is expected to approach an all-time record low of minus 27, set in 1985, according to Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster at the U.S. Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. Wind chill, meanwhile, could feel closer to minus-40 to minus-45.
"That is pretty amazing," Hurley said by telephone on Monday. But there's hope ahead for the weekend, when the cold is forecast to retreat across the U.S., with temperatures returning to seasonal levels or warmer, Hurley added.
(Score: 3, Informative) by HiThere on Tuesday January 29 2019, @05:58PM (6 children)
Not really. 95 F is too hot for people to be very active in, even if acclimated. But when I lived in the San Jouquin valley (southern central California) we expected the temperature to go over 100 F at some point during each summer day. It sure wasn't nice, but it was dry enough to be tolerable if you had enough water. And could stay in the shade.
If you study the use of power in the southern areas (North of the equator) you will find air conditioner use to be one of the main uses of power during the summer. Nobody likes 95 F. 85 F, though, is pretty much OK when you're used to it...as long as it's not too muggy.
N.B.: Remember the human body temperature is, when healthy, about 98.5 F. When external temperatures approach that you start getting in trouble losing heat. Evaporation becomes important, but evaporative cooling can only do so much, even when it's dry, and when it's humid...
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(Score: 2) by HiThere on Tuesday January 29 2019, @06:01PM
P.S.: I originally said "Nobody likes 90 F", but there actually are people who do. And for a short time, if you aren't being too active, it's OK. Consider saunas, hot tubs, etc. But those are special corner cases.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 29 2019, @06:43PM (2 children)
Nah, I used to live in the southwest and go hiking for 4-5 hours at a time in 100+. As long as you bring plenty of water (and toilet paper), it’s not too bad.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 29 2019, @07:04PM (1 child)
What is the toilet paper for?
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday January 29 2019, @10:03PM
So he can write "help" on the ground when the heat stroke hits.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Wednesday January 30 2019, @05:00AM
95F calls for caution, but people in the deep south regularly work in those temperatures with brutal humidity to go with it.
Frequent breaks and copious amounts of water are a must, of course.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 30 2019, @08:40AM
95F is not too hot for physical activity at all. I grew up and spent much of my adult life in the NoVA/DC area and routinely cycled, hiked and did outside chores in those conditions.
What slayed me was 111F in Death Valley. Even though I was drinking water continuously, that's well above body temperature and my middle-aged body wasn't carrying away the heat fast enough. I briefly considered taking a different tack before I made it back to the car--dumping my remaining water on my head.
Fortunately it didn't come to that, and the car A/C saved my stupid ass. Dry heat? Bah! It's when you get at or above body temperature and/or you're a bit older that I think you run into trouble. Being acclimated and in good shape makes a world of difference. There are super athletes who run marathon+ in that same Death Valley heat. They can do it because they're acclimated.