North Carolina, South Carolina Getting Bracing for Arctic Blast
After much of November being warmer than expected across the U.S., that trend has taken a drastic turn, and even some weather forecasters and experts are surprised by it. An arctic blast is coming down through the Midwest, Northeast and even into the South, bringing very below normal temperatures to much of the country, including North Carolina and South Carolina. Now, the region is bracing for unusually cold weather for much of early December. So, put on your fuzzy, cozy clothing and get ready for a cold weather blast.
North Carolina and South Carolina is Getting Arctic Temperatures
Looking at North Carolina, according to the weather experts at Weather.com, all week is expected to see below-normal temperatures throughout much of the area. Winds are also a factor, with meteorologists predicting that winds will increase as Wednesday progresses and remain high through Thursday afternoon. Temperatures are actually expected to go down to 20 by Thursday and Friday, and while early next week will see a slight warmup, the cold weather will return by the middle of the week. Now is the time to bundle up, listen to Christmas music and do Christmas stuff. South Carolina looks similar, with temperatures going down to the 20s on Thursday and Friday, followed by the warmup and cold weather again.
This cold trend is apparent for much of the country, so everyone is going to have to bundle up. “Many areas across the northern tier will start the month of December with temperatures well below historical averages,” Paul Pastelok, lead long-range expert for AccuWeather, said.
The Southeast, Midwest and Northeast are especially getting hit, with AccuWeather’s Alex Sosnowski stating, “Freezing temperatures will lunge deep into the Southeast, and the frigid air will be wind-driven and penetrating in the Midwest and Northeast.”
So, what’s an arctic blast? “Typically, very cold air in the Arctic is trapped inside a high-altitude swirl of winds called the polar vortex, which is surrounded by a lower-altitude band called the polar jet stream,” Scientific American explains. “If the polar vortex gets disrupted, however, the jet stream can become wavy and carry frigid air much farther south than usual in an Arctic blast.” They add that this cold air can bring snow and ice and it’s bitterly cold.
According to First Coast News, an arctic blast, which they say was “coined by the media,” means “a rapid southward push of cold air from the poles, extending beyond its usual reach. The phenomenon is linked to the current phase of the polar vortex or Arctic low within the Arctic Oscillation (AO).”
