If you watched many TV weathercasters report during the first week of January 2014, you heard explanations about how the polar vortex, and its associated pool of bitterly cold arctic air, controlled the weather across the eastern two-thirds of North America (Fig. 1). The counter-clockwise circulation…To read the entire feature,
Read DetailsIt’s been cold across the northern tier (North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin, in particular). Places such as Minneapolis, MN were 7.3 degrees below average during December 2013. Minneapolis reported 6 days during the month with average daily temperatures below zero and…To read the entire feature, click here. Originally published 01/05/14
Read DetailsCold air is firmly entrenched across the northern tier of states. Early this New Year’s Day morning (Wed., Jan. 1, 2014), an east to west front from Oklahoma eastward through the Ohio Valley separated two disparate air masses. To the north (e. g., Iowa), temperature readings were in single digit
Read DetailsToday, Dec. 1, 2013, marks the start of meteorological winter. Meteorological winter (much like its other seasonal counterparts) commences about three weeks before the astronomical seasonal change…To read the entire feature, click here. Originally published 12/1/13
Read DetailsIf you live anywhere east of the Rockies (and that includes most places in the Deep South), the weather watchword for the next two weeks looks to be, “chilly.” This doesn’t mean…To read the entire feature, click here. Originally published 11/22/13
Read DetailsThe large upper level ridge parked over eastern Alaska and western Canada is going to provide one last gasp of arctic chill this week. Then the weather pattern will become more tranquil and seasonable. However, this air mass, arriving from high latitudes, will ensure a wintry blast to parts of
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