A winter heat wave has been baking Europe in summer-like temperatures in the days following the winter solstice, and despite suffering the worst drought in 1,200 years California is under a state of emergency due to flooding caused by record-breaking rains and snowfall. Heat records have fallen across numerous European countries duringread more
A combination of a series of three storm systems and a blast of Arctic air are prompting forecasts of an extended cold snap across the US, with temperatures in some parts of the north-central states expected to dip as low as 30ºF below normal. The regions expected to be affected include the Upper Midwest, Great lakes, Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic, and New England.
Mashable’s Andrew Freedman describes the February-like conditions that are visiting the continent as yet another consequence of the polar vortex pushing Arctic air in a southeasterly direction. 12 inches of snow is forecast for higher elevations in West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland, with Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston possibly seeing lighter snowfall on Saturday.
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Last month’s split in the Polar Vortex caused two distinct sections of the typically-persistent low-pressure zone to push south; one into western North America, and the other into northern Siberia. In North America, this resulted in a massive cold snap on the west coast, while the east experienced above-average temperatures.read more
An mass of cold Arctic air has descended from the north over the continent, causing temperatures to plunge across Canada and the eastern half of the United States. Many regions between Nunavut and Ontario are seeing temperatures well below zero — Fahrenheit, that is (-32ºC), cold enough to crack windows in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Although low-temperature records in many regions aren’t being broken, these conditions are encroaching on century-old records for the duration of regional cold snaps.
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