Polar vortex outbreak creates 90 degree difference from one end of Texas to the other
Look at the cold plunging from the latest polar vortex incursion:
Notice the difference between Houston and Dallas, or New Orleans and Wichita now take a look at this map. WeatherBell’s Ryan Maue reports that the coldest state in Lower 48 was Iowa, with an average of -1.0°F
Look at the gradient across the front in Texas, note how sharp it is; a 90 degree difference from the southern tip of Texas to the Texas panhandle.
Former AMS president Marshal Shepard remarks:
Marshall Shepherd @DrShepherd2013 2h
Even better depiction of temperature difference with this front..90 deg difference.. Wow via Jared rackley pic.twitter.com/FDRZZvEtGb
See the WUWT Polar Vortex page for more
UPDATE: Greg Carbin of NOAA produced the 24 hour animation of surface temps:
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We live in the thumb of Michigan near Lake Huron. It is now -2 and forecast for -14, originally -4. Friday morning it was -17. We had a short warming break in January, and a day or two over 35 in February. Long range for March it looks like 10+ deg below normal through the middle of the month. Ok, we’ve had enough already. Overall this is the coldest winter I can remember in my short lifetime of 52 years.
Fortunately (for us) the heavy snow falls have been south, but I suspect we’ll get a big storm before winter’s end.
I like the minus zero in Minot, Canada.
For a good part of the north we have had only 1 day above freezing since jan 3.
When the thaw comes it’s going to be flood land in the Midwest.
Meanwhile, just another day in paradise. Warm with a clear blue sky, slight southerly breeze. Went to the Venice jetty this morning, relaxing with a cup of coffee, watching the boats move out into the turquoise waters of the Gulf. Later off to Snook Haven along the Myakka River for some outside drink and live music. Watched a fat guy slip off the small dock and splat into the water. Went home, lit up the grill and put down a couple of fresh chuck burgers. Did I mention there is no state income tax in Florida?
Yes, look at the New Scientist, Feb. 10th…”As a result of climate change 2014 is likely to be one of the hottest years on record. If El Niño does develop this year, it will make 2014 even hotter – maybe the hottest ever…” I told you so! (I wasn’t going to say that.)
Pamela Gray “Maybe we can turn some of those blue states into red states. ”
I don’t know about that. But looks like the Montana and Dakota s are turning purple
“This is no longer entertaining and mildly amusing”
Well, I’m having a chuckle here in Brisbane.
Any sense on where the pressure readings are for the high pressure system dumping the cold air into the south?
I think it was in 1988. Hurricane Gilbert set the record for the lowest pressure for a hurricane. Then the next winter in early 1989 a high formed in Alaska and dropped south. It produced a polar outbreak similar to this one and set the record for the highest pressure measured from a high pressure system.
It was 77F at 3pm where I live WSW of Houston. By 8pm it was 34F with a howling wind. That’s impressive in my book.
Did anyone notice that jet stream is following the Rockies southward [and] the Appalachian Mountains north?
Can someone tell me why there are no severe storm cells along this front?
bushbunny says:
March 2, 2014 at 5:16 pm
Rankine.
bushbunny says:
March 2, 2014 at 5:16 pm
Excuse me being ignorant are you C or F on the map?
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Remember, when it’s “C” it’s climate…
“F” is just weather.
Tom in Florida says:
March 2, 2014 at 6:01 pm
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I’ve heard, and want to believe, that the insects will walk off with anything not tied down in Florida.
Any truth to these rumors ?
albertalad says:
March 2, 2014 at 5:32 pm
Yes – the polar vortex. So y’all getting our message we’re not real happy with the XL lack of progress now?
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Canada’s WMD?
Aw, jeez – here we go again…. >:-(
Tom in Florida
March 2, 2014 at 6:01 pm
You just had to do that to everybody didn’t you? You cruel, cruel man!
bushbunny says:
March 2, 2014 at 5:16 pm
“Excuse me being ignorant are you C or F on the map?”
when puerto vallarta hits 81 centigrade, I think we are all in trouble….
dont you?
@Box of Rocks,
That is cold for this time of year. I remember Manhattan, KS (The Little Apple) well. Got my BS and MS in Computer Science at K-State in early 80’s (Go Wildcats!). Grew up in Atchison. My Mum still lives there. Cold, but not “un-precedented”.
Now living in Australia. Moved from The land of Oz to Oz (down under), but there ain’t no Dorothy or Toto here…
Take Care and Be Well and Warm!
AussieBear.
All this weather is getting old … can’t we go back to climate?
It was 72 today. It is going down to below 10 tomorrow. This is Virginia and it is coming.
The vortex this year has been really interesting ..
The new Earth Wind Map has become a great tool for watching the vortex progression.
The pacific counter-rotating vortex is strengthening and slowly over weeks time is pushing the polar vortex across the cap.
The vorticity that forms in the lower levels of the atmosphere, off from the higher levels is quite cool, Follow the vortex centers from10 hPa (16.466 miles) down thru the in the wind map tool layers. A daily rotation rolls some of the vertical vortices over through the layers.
As we get closer to Equinox, with more daylight reaching northern lats. and some occasional solar energetic particles, (some last week) that vortex should freaking go go go away somewhere.
The wind map might even show the daily variation pecking away at the polar front..flat sides and eddys..hey
http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/10hPa/overlay=temp/orthographic=-90.73,90.80,483
In the view window I pull the cross hairs of the N. Pole to the center of my PC screen and zoom to fill.
Set the control panel (click on the word Earth, on bottom left side of open window) for Temp. Automatically keeps wind, so you can see wind and temp throughout the layers as well..
California’s pineapple or not, had a counter rotation to it.. Most of the vortices through out the N. Pole are clockwise, after a twist a counter flow starts along the path ..you can see them as they appear as horizontal logs rolling, with a vortex peaking out the side..on an angle..
Don’t forget to check the S. Pole .. as we approach Equinox..
Sam Hall says:
March 2, 2014 at 5:08 pm
Here in Dallas, I had my AC on this morning and now we have sleet falling.
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When that happened in Dallas when I lived there in the late 70’s we called them ‘Blue Norther’s’ or ‘Canadian Express’. 75 F at noon with light winds from the south, then the wind direction changed to come from the North and the temp would drop into the 40s in an hour or less.
u.k.(us) says:
March 2, 2014 at 6:30 pm
I’ve heard, and want to believe, that the insects will walk off with anything not tied down in Florida.
Any truth to these rumors ?
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Only those things that have not been eaten by pythons, alligators or cougars. You eventually get desensitized to the fire ant bites and love bugs, well, they are just a messy nuisance. Now palmetto bugs on the other hand can get quite large and even fly but they rarely get in your hair if you keep it short.
Found what I was looking for –
From Weatherunderground.com
“…U.S. High Barometric Pressure Records
Alaska holds this honor with a reading of 1078.6 mb (31.85”) on January 31, 1989 at Northway during one of the state’s greatest cold waves. Temperatures fell below -70°F at several locations (-76°F at Tanana and -75°F at McGrath). Northway reached -62°F on January 31. Many ‘bush’ aircraft (a principal form of transportation in this region) were grounded in central Alaska since their altimeters were not capable of calibrating to such an extreme pressure reading. That January was the coldest single month on record at Juneau with a 6.8°F average and Nome recorded its coldest temperature on record with -54° on January 27th and 28th.
This high-pressure figure is often erroneously referred to as the highest ever measured in North America. In fact, this is not true since at Dawson City, Yukon, next door to Alaska, but in Canada a higher reading of 1079.6 mb (31.88”) was measured a few days later on February 2, 1989. …”
http://www.wunderground.com/blog/weatherhistorian/world-and-us-anticyclonic-high-barometric-pressure-records
So where do all this air come from to support such a movement of cold dense air across thousands of miles?
[Snip. More such profanity will get your entire comment deleted. ~ mod.]
A storm … to become a N’oreaster is set to shut down Washington DC on Monday. Brilliant move!
Putin Wins. Obama receives blame for the ‘U.S. major foreign policy failure’ and the ‘stupendous failure of the G8 Summit!’
Outcome
November 2014: Republican Party and Tea Party gain control of U.S. House. Senator Harry Reid resigns. Dies within hours. Obama Cabinet Secretaries Rout! All Resign En-mass except John Kerry, who still hopes to be the Democratic Presidential Nominee, except for the fact that Kerry was in Keiv when the Russian/Crimeran Forces entered the city and was arrested and charged as a War Provocateur. Then sent to Siberia to … Cool a bit .. by personal order of Putin.
Monday, “This will be Good!”