The North Pole is Doomed by a Strong Anisotropic Polar Front, and its Effect on Air Travel across the United States Over the Next Two Weeks
“Low visibility will create even more dangerous travel conditions on top of snow covered roadways,” the NWS says. “Additionally, the strong winds could lead to potential power outages from the Midwest to the Northeast.”
The latest bulletin from the National Weather Service (NWS) names the cause as a “strong arctic high pressure system,” which swept down from Canada on Tuesday and appears poised to march towards the Southeast on Wednesday and Thursday, leaving a wake of life-threatening weather systems across 17 states.
The avalanche alerts are in effect as lower elevations across the West could see five-day snowfall totals of 2 to 8 inches, with some areas getting as much as a foot. More mountainous high elevations are forecast to receive 1 to 3 feet of snowfall, with isolated areas getting over 3 feet.
The incoming arctic front will bring sub-zero temperatures to the northern Rockies, Great Basin and Northern Plains, with winds blowing as fast as 60 mph.
The season’s lowest temperature could occur by Friday, which is only the first week of winter. Jacksonville andTallahassee could see a chill as low as 20 F on Christmas Eve.
As of Tuesday morning, air travel appeared largely undisturbed by the approaching polar front, with more than 575 delays and 285 cancellations at airports across the U.S., according to the tracking site Flight Aware.
An outage that left 180,000 without power across New England over the weekend was resolved by Monday, but the Associated Press reported that attempts to bring extra utility workers into the state ahead of this week’s storm were stymied by slick roads.
High-speed winds in the West Coast are forecasted to last up to 100 mph, and trees could be destroyed by subzero temperatures on Tuesday evening
The NWS says that frostbite can be a problem for those trying to brave the cold. Subzero temperatures in some parts of the U.S. this week could lead to frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.
People outside should cover their skin with layers and then change into dry clothing as soon as possible. But, experts say, the best prevention by far is simply to stay indoors.
All 11 Western states are under winter weather alerts Wednesday, with about half a million people along the higher elevations of the Rockies under high wind alerts as gusts could reach Category 1 hurricane strength. Already, electricity has been knocked out in parts of Oregon, Washington and California, according to PowerOutage.us.
The atmospheric river – a long, narrow region in the atmosphere that can transport moisture thousands of miles – is the reason flood watches were issued for over 7 million people across much of the West Coast, including Seattle and San Francisco.
More than 15 million people in the West are under wind alerts from the National Weather Service through at least Tuesday evening as the storm system pushes inland.
There were cities with winds reaching as high as 100 mph on Tuesday. A gust of 107 mph was reported in Mount Hood, Oregon, and a 104-mph gust was recorded in North Bonneville, Washington. Wind speeds between 80 and 90 mph were reported Tuesday in several cities, including a gust of 90 mph in Walker, California.
Strong winds in Portland could knock down trees that have been weakened by weather extremes in recent years, arborist Colin Bourgeois told CNN affiliate KATU.
“The consecutive dry summers that we’ve had, especially the heat events like the heat dome, that really damages trees and it takes up so much of their energy to fuel their immune systems to fight off pathogens,” Bourgeois said.
Los Angeles, California, begins the rainy season with early-season rainfall, wind and snow forecasts for the next few days – soggy and wet
The old record for rain in Portland was 1.08 inches, which was broken on December 26, 1996. Monday was the third-rainiest December day on record in Portland.
A wide area of rain is expected across the region through Sunday with isolated areas getting up to 6 inches. Northern California could see up to 7 inches of rain.
The greatest flash-flooding concerns are for the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, as well as the coastal portions of southern Oregon down through the Bay Area and to Los Angeles County.
“Say goodbye to the warmth,” the National Weather Service in Los Angeles tweeted Monday. “Big drop in temperatures on track between today and tomorrow (Tuesday). The storm system will cause 15-20 degrees of cooling.
California has begun the rainy season with good news for some improvement in the conditions of the region’s water situation. As of late last week, the state’s snowpack was running more than 150% of normal, according to the California Department of Water Resources.
In the West, an initial round of lashing rain, wind and snow has moved inland and is set Wednesday to engulf inter-mountain areas. On Wednesday, more rounds of precipitation and snow are expected to sweep in at the end of the week as the coast gets a brief lull.
The southern part of California and the Four Corners region include parts of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. By Wednesday morning, the high elevation precipitation will leave California and remain in the Four Corners area until Thursday.
The celebrations on New Year’s Eve will be disrupted in Washington, DC and New York City. Los Angeles, too, is expected to ring in a soggy new year.
A flood watch for more than 16 million in effect including entire Bay Area and Central Valley though Saturday night. Rain could ease Saturday evening before the calendar turns to 2023.
Adding to the melting snow and flooding concerns, rain will also fall in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday, adding to the problem as the city continues to recover from its deadly blizzard. There is expected to be more rain next week.
Flaring and Debris on the Freeway at the I-70 Freeway after a Tree-Crash Event in Oregon, killing five people, including a 4-year-old girl
“The slight risk area mostly highlights places that are already high in soil moisture, burn scars and urban areas,” the Weather Prediction Center said.
The Colorado portion of the I- 70 freeway was closed for nine hours before it reopened on Thursday.
Dangerous conditions Tuesday in Oregon left five people dead, including a 4-year-old girl, after severe weather caused trees to fall on passing vehicles, state police said.