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posted by martyb on Tuesday January 29 2019, @04:10PM   Printer-friendly
from the Brrrrrrr dept.

'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.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/01/28/cold-weather-polar-vortex-drive-record-smashing-cold-across-nation/2698747002/

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.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-01-28/chicago-faces-colder-than-arctic-blast-nearing-all-time-record


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  • (Score: 1) by bussdriver on Tuesday January 29 2019, @11:08PM (2 children)

    by bussdriver (6876) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday January 29 2019, @11:08PM (#793819)

    Me too. Long ago I used to bike to work in that MN cold and moving along at 12mph average, the wind chill did not matter since I was getting that 12mph headwind all the time. People ski in the cold too... the people who do activities know to dress properly for the wind chills.

    People in MN seem less able to cope than in the past; even driving seems new to them every snowfall.... but smartphone drivers are probably why it looks increasingly stupid. I can't believe how many things are closed right now because of this; and it's not just schools.

  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Wednesday January 30 2019, @03:28AM (1 child)

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Wednesday January 30 2019, @03:28AM (#793884) Journal

    I'm impressed you biked to work in that. The cold can be managed, but traction adds a lot of risk.

    I suspect lower resistance to the cold lies in part in the movement of populations in the last several decades. Dyed-in-the-wool Minnesotans probably remain indomitable, but there are many more people from gentler climes there now. The fact that the Twin Cities now has a sizeable Somali population is just weird.

    But another part, too, is the larger trend toward coddling and infantilizing everyone. It used to be Americans prized toughness and resilience. But after several decades of sissifying everyone, people whimper whenever anything becomes the least bit uncomfortable or challenging. It's pitiful.

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.
    • (Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Wednesday January 30 2019, @03:07PM

      by cmdrklarg (5048) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday January 30 2019, @03:07PM (#794065)

      Around my area being below zero is not unusual (this winter has been mild up until now to be honest), but -20F is a bit out of the norm and -30F is quite rare. They closed down a lot around here mainly due to the wind chill being in the -60F range last night and this morning. I dressed for the occasion and had no trouble driving to work.

      --
      The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.