Extreme Temperatures
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Snowflake Cold

Weather out of whack: North Pole is 25F warmer than Bismarck, North Dakota

north pole warmer than North Dakota ice age
Experts warning its going to be a lot worse next week!

This morning at 9.am UST, Bismarck North Dakota USA recorded a temperature of minus 32.5C, minus 26.5F, which is 25F colder the North Pole which recorded its temperature at minus 17.3C, minus 1F. These kinds of temperatures are brutal and with the blizzard conditions North Dakota has suffered this week it has been truly treacherous.

Brutal cold lingering across the northern Plains thanks to an invasion of Arctic air. On Wednesday night, Dickinson, North Dakota, experienced an AccuWeather Real Feel Temperature of minus 39, while in Casper, Wyoming, the actual temperature plummeted to minus 33. And it will get worse, if you thought it was cold in the US this week well, next week is going to be even colder as the polar vortex returns to North America. Reuter's reports, forecasters are sending chills down some spines with a prediction that much of the northern half of the United States could see frigid weather next week similar to life-threatening lows the polar vortex brought to parts of the country in 2014.

Comment:


Snowflake

Freezing temperatures, snow, icy rain to hit more than 200 million in the U.S.

Chicago skyline with icicles
© Jim Young/ReutersChicago, Illinois skyline framed by icicles.
Ready, steady, bundle up! Jack Frost is about to dance across the Northeast with a freezing polar vortex making a dramatic return to the US. Chills, snow and rain are expected to make a landfall over the weekend, likely bringing old classics like slippery roads and flight delays.

Meteorologists predict that the freezing blast will cover midwestern and northeastern states for at least five to seven days. So, getting out extra scarves and gloves might be a good idea.

This year's polar vortex, or a shift in a stratospheric weather system, is already been predicted to be just as bad as the one that developed in January 2014, when record freezing temperatures gripped the US.

"Upper-level atmosphere configuration very similar in scale & magnitude as infamous Jan 2014 #PolarVortex popularized by me and @afreedma,"meteorologist Ryan Maue said on Twitter on Tuesday alongside maps comparing the two weather systems.

More than 200 million Americans are expected to be affected by freezing temperatures, snow and rain, or a mix of both.

Comment: See also: Bitterly cold air to come in waves across US into next week


Snowflake Cold

Extreme cold, Arctic outflow, blizzard and snowfall warnings across Canada

Cold Yet?
8 Dec 2016 - minus 40 C (-40 F) range by Friday morning. Far colder in some areas

Alberta

Extreme Cold Warning for more than 50 locations (See link below)

With overnight low temperatures in the minus thirties (Celsius) and light easterly winds, wind chill values are expected to reach the minus 40 C (-40 F) range by Friday morning. Wind chill values will abate late Friday morning when temperatures begin to rise.

(Also ab4, ab28, ab5 and ab24 in the address link for the other affected areas)

British Columbia

Extreme cold warnings for the B.C. North Peace River and B.C. South Peace River regions (no temperatures given).

Extreme Cold Warning in effect for Yoho Park - Kootenay Park region. Very cold wind chills expected.

Igloo

Heavy snowfall in Turkey forces 168 road closures

Snow in Turkey
© Cumhuriyet
The Governorship of Artvin stated that due to snow and icing, all schools in the provinces of Artvin, Borçka and Murgul were suspended for one day.

According to the Provincial Directorate of Special Administrative Region, heavy snowfall in the center of Artvin province - 20 cm of snow, somewhere close to 1 meter in height - forced closure of 168 rural roads in provinces and districts. (I don't understand why there are two different snow amounts here.)

Due to heavy snowfall and storms in Ardahan, training in Posof, Damal and Hanak districts was interrupted for one day.

Due to the snowfall and storm in Posof, many village roads were closed. At 2500 meters above sea level, linking Posof to the Damal district, Ilgar Mountain crossing is closed at 06.00 and Ardahan-Şavşat Karayolun is closed at 07.30.

Due to heavy snow and storms, primary and secondary schools were closed in Posof, Damal and Hanak districts.

According to estimates of meteorology, snowfall is expected in Istanbul on Wednesday.

Snowflake

Blizzard blasts North Dakota with up to 19 inches of snow closing down most roads

 An exhausted man takes a break from the task of attempting to shovel his vehicle out of deep snow at a northwest Minot intersection Tuesday morning
© Kim Fundingsland/MDN An exhausted man takes a break from the task of attempting to shovel his vehicle out of deep snow at a northwest Minot intersection Tuesday morning
Eastern North Dakota's first snowstorm of the season dumped more than a foot of snow on Monday night and Tuesday in many areas, but it was the howling winds up to 30 mph to 50 mph that caused blizzard conditions across the region.

Wind driven snow depth
© Lauren Ashley Otradovec, Glenburn, NDLauren Ashley Otradovec who lives in Glenburn, ND, found this massive pile of wind driven snow when she opened her door. There is about a foot of snow on the ground after a new storm dumped a few inches but the big issue is the wind.
The highest snowfall was thought to be in Kensel where 19 inches fell through Tuesday night. The small town is about 30 miles north of Jamestown.

Grand Forks was also close to having the biggest snowfall at 13 inches by 6 p.m., said National Weather Service meteorologist Amanda Lee.

She said another inch or two could fall late Tuesday into early Wednesday.

Other high snowfall total were 12.5 inches in Hatton about 40 miles southeast of Grand Forks and 14 inches in Harvey and McHenry south and west of Devils Lake.


Snowflake Cold

Arctic air to invade most of U.S. this week

man in snow
The coldest and most widespread blast of arctic air so far this season will spread across the majority of the United States this week.

Frigid air from the depths of the Arctic will plunge into the United States as the jet stream (a fast-river of air along which storms travel) drops southward.

The coldest days of next week will yield highs and lows generally 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit below normal from the Northwest to the Gulf and East coasts.


Departures from normal highs will even approach 30 degrees in Billings, Montana, and Denver, Colorado.

The arctic blast will first began to chill the Northwest this weekend, where pockets of snow and freezing conditions made some roads slippery.

The northern Rockies and northern Plains will face multiple days of highs in the single digits and teens. Subfreezing highs will then spread to the central Plains, Great Lakes and interior Northeast.

"Afternoon high temperatures in cities like Kansas City and St. Louis will only be in the 20s late in the week, while some places in the Dakotas may have a day or two where the temperature does not even get above zero," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Thompson said.

Snowflake

Hawaii now expected to receive 3 feet of snowfall

With a winter storm warning in effect through Saturday, the summits of Hawaii's Big Island could get more than two feet of snow.
With a winter storm warning in effect through Saturday, the summits of Hawaii's Big Island could get more than two feet of snow.
Hawaii's highest peak could get up to another foot of snow Sunday, on top of the 2 feet that have fallen since Thursday, the National Weather Service says.

A winter storm warning is in effect for the summits of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea through Saturday evening.

"Then we're expecting another round on Sunday and Sunday night," said Matthew Foster, a staff meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

The initial storm started on Thursday and was slowing down Saturday, "though some freezing drizzle is still possible," Foster said.

The next storm is currently about 400 miles west of the island of Kauai and should arrive over the islands sometime on Sunday, Foster said.

Comment: See also this earlier report: Over 2 feet of snow forecast for high ground in Hawaii


Cloud Grey

Rare 'fog dome' photographed near Tremeirchion, Wales

A rare UFO-like 'fog dome' (pictured here) was spotted by a dog walker in North Wales yesterday morning at 8am
A rare UFO-like 'fog dome' (pictured here) was spotted by a dog walker in North Wales yesterday morning at 8am
Temperatures are expected to drop below freezing this weekend, prompting health officials to warn that the chilly conditions can be deadly.

Cold weather alerts have been issued for much of the country as forecasters expect 'severe cold weather' to set in today.

A rare UFO-like 'fog dome' was spotted by a dog walker in North Wales yesterday morning at 8am.

Hannah Blandford was with her pet in the village of Tremeirchion when she came across the spectacle which has been dubbed an 'alien pod'.

The 33-year-old who works as a teacher told The Sun: 'I couldn't believe how perfectly dome shaped it was, it looked amazing, so I had to take a photo. I'd never seen anything like it before, it was really quite special.

'I watched it for about 10 minutes and then the dome started to flatten and it looked like very thick low lying cloud. It spread out across 12 fields and covered a huge area.'

Forecasters think the fog dome was caused by heat rising up from the ground.

Forecasters think the fog dome was caused by heat rising up from the ground. Hannah Blandford, 33, was with her pet in the village of Tremeirchion when she came across the spectacle
Forecasters think the fog dome was caused by heat rising up from the ground. Hannah Blandford, 33, was with her pet in the village of Tremeirchion when she came across the spectacle

Snowflake

Over 2 feet of snow forecast for high ground in Hawaii

Snow at the Mauna Kea summit Friday afternoon
© UKIRTSnow at the Mauna Kea summit Friday afternoon
The summits of Hawaii's Big Island could get more than two feet of snow, with a winter storm warning in effect through Saturday.

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect through Saturday evening for elevations above 11,000 feet. The summits could get 20 to 30 inches of snow through Saturday, CBS affiliate KGMB.

An upper level low pressure area has brought the sub-freezing temperatures and unstable conditions. The low will combine with moisture surging in from the southeast, which could result in bursts of heavy snow, especially above 12,000 feet.

Conditions on the summits are dangerous. Besides being cold, east to southeast winds of 10 to 20 miles per hour are expected with higher gusts. The strong winds also will cause drifting snow, and freezing fog will reduce visibility to as low as a quarter of a mile.

It may be a while before you can see the white stuff up close. The road to the summit of Mauna Kea is closed at the Visitor Information Station at the 9,200-foot level due to freezing fog, heavy snow and icy roadways. The summit of Mauna Loa is also closed due to high winds and heavy snow. This means hiking and overnight camping is prohibited. The National Park Service said a thick blanket of snow was visible as low as 10,000 feet.



Snowflake

Snow records shattered on Prince Edward Island, Canada

These sorts of struggles are unusual for the end of November.
© Laura Meader/CBCThese sorts of struggles are unusual for the end of November.
If it seems like there is a lot snow on the ground on P.E.I. for early December, that's because there is.

In fact, there has been a record amount of snow on the ground. Charlottetown Airport broke records on both Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

Previously, the snowiest end of November/start of December was in 1989. Those records for Nov. 27-29 stand, but 29 centimetres is a new record for Nov. 30 (17 in 1989) as is 32 for Dec. 1 (19 in 1989).

None of the storms this week broke snowfall records on their own, but in combination they have. Three storms brought snow to the Island in the space of five days, and the amount of snow was a surprise to everyone.