Massive Arctic blast to hit this week bringing record-breaking lows across America as temperatures plummet to 20F (-6)
THE US is set to be battered by a barrel of Arctic blasts this week – with more than 300 record breaking low temperatures across the country.
The freeze will hit around 60 per cent of the entire country and is expected to remain throughout the middle of November as a result of a jet stream from Canada.
North-central America will be pummelled first before the cold snap heads towards the north-east from Wednesday to Saturday with some parts hitting as low as -6C.
Today the mercury will plummet in the Great Plains before movingh East.
Forecasters predict some of the coldest winds of the season – reminiscent of the middle of winter rather than autumn.
Areas to the east Rocky Mountains are set to see an eye-watering drop of 20 to 30 degrees while temperatures in the south are also expected to plummet by the middle of the week.
Mississippi and Alabama are expected to see highs in the 30s which is 10 degrees colder than what forecaster would expect in the middle of January.
And parts of the South have seen a stop to the current growing season as the cold affects crops.
AccuWeather's Dan Kottlowski told USA Today: “A widespread killing freeze is likely to end the growing season across much of the South early next week.”
ARCTIC SNAP
In Kansas, reports of residents smelling an odd odour began this week.
The National Weather Service in Kansas City revealed the smell was manure from a stock farm 300 miles away and was carried by the arctic blast.
CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward told WXYZ: “We are in a pattern where multiple waves of cold are moving in from Canada and impacting the Central and Eastern US.
“One wave of cold came in late last week, another is moving in today and tomorrow, and the coldest blast by far moves in early next week.”
Forecasters also say residents living in a jet stream from Texas to the Dakotas could see temperatures drop to the teens.
While the extreme cold is expected to give way to a milder pattern to close out November, it may take until the third week of November to clear.
AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok
AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok added: “'While the extreme cold is expected to give way to a milder pattern to close out November, it may take until the third week of November to clear out the well below-normal temperatures from the northern Plains through the Great Lakes.”
It comes one week after a previous arctic blast swept through the county on Halloween night when Chicago, Illinois, saw its earliest snowfall in 30 years on October 29.
The National Weather Service said Chicago received 1.2 inches in snow and that it was the earliest snowfall amassing over one inch since October 20, 1989.
They also shared that the 1.2 inches of snow broke a 96-year-old daily snowfall record initially set with 0.7 inches on October 30 in 1923.
The snowfall caused some suburbs and Chicago communities to postpone trick-or-treating until that Saturday.
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The northern suburb of Vernon Hills said they were moving Halloween from Thursday to Saturday and the village of Winnetka followed suit.
A spokesman said: “This decision was made following resident requests to change the hours and in consultation with our Chief of Police.
“The intention is to maximise participation in Halloween celebrations, while encouraging the safety of our youngest residents.”
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