Much of the United States will be stung with frigid or below-normal temperatures next week as Arctic air moves across the nation, U.S. government forecasters said Thursday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the cold snap will affect temperatures from coast to coast during Feb. 10-14, and possibly through Feb. 18.
The chilly temperatures so far this winter have been accompanied by heavy snow or rain across some parts of the drought-stricken Plains states.
“Unfortunately, it looks like the next couple of weeks will see most of the storm activity concentrated in the South and the East, instead of the areas where we most need the moisture,” said Douglas Le Comte, a NOAA forecaster and drought specialist.
In January, widespread snow, ice and record cold swept across the nation from Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine.
“The jet stream took a nose dive into various parts of the country during January, aiming Arctic air at the Pacific Northwest early in the month and then, later on, into the Great Plains, Midwest, and Northeast,” Le Comte said.
For example, New York City reported below-normal temperatures every day from Jan. 6 through Feb. 2, forecasters said. In Grand Forks, N.D., a minus-43 degree Fahrenheit reading at the airport on Jan. 30 was the lowest temperature recorded since readings began in 1941.
