Five things to know about the wave of cold temperatures in Northern Michigan
GAYLORD — The Northern Michigan region and a good part of the nation is experiencing a period of extremely cold temperatures.
Arctic air from the northern Rockies and Great Plains crossed the Gulf Coast and Midwest on Saturday night and the Eastern Seaboard on Sunday night, dropping temperatures dramatically.
We talked with Matt Gillen, a staff meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Gaylord, and here are five things to know about the arctic air mass:
Arctic air will plunge from the northern Rockies and Great Plains, crossing the Gulf Coast and Midwest on Saturday night and the Eastern Seaboard on Sunday night, leading to extremely cold temperatures in Northern Michigan.
How often does Northern Michigan get one of these cold waves?
It is not necessarily an annual occurrence that we will experience this degree of cold. We did a little bit of research on this recently and it looks like on average it’s every two to five years. The coldest weather will be over the northern Plains and upper Midwest, where some spots may see subzero high temperatures Sunday and Monday. Temperatures in Northern Michigan will plummet into the single digits by the start of next week, with wind chills as low as minus 20 to minus 25 degrees at times.
How long do they usually last?
Typically it’s anywhere from one to seven days and it’s all dependent on the weather pattern not only locally but what is happening across the Midwest and into Canada as well.
Temperatures in Northern Michigan will plummet into the single digits by the start of next week with wind chills as low as minus 20 to minus 25 degrees at times, according to the National Weather Service office in Gaylord.
Can it snow during these periods?
Absolutely and it will all the way from Saturday night until at least Tuesday night. We will have lake-effect snow across the northern lower (peninsula) and eastern upper Michigan. It will probably be nasty at times with significantly reduced visibilities. We will have small snowflakes and wind added to that, so visibility will be restricted. There will be some treacherous travel early next week.
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What conditions must exist for the region to get a cold wave?
We need to tap into cold air into our north and whether that is in northern Canada toward the North Pole or up in Siberia, and that is what we will be experiencing.
Do the cold waves usually cover a large part of the country?
Not necessarily as most cold wave outbreaks are limited to Canada and the northern states. However, this one is a little bit different. It will affect all the way down to the Gulf Coast of Texas, northern Florida and the southern states.
— Contact Paul Welitzkin at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Five things to know about the wave of extremely cold temperatures in Northern Michigan
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