Frigid Temperatures Last Night Across Colorado and Beyond! (credit: Jessica Lebel via KKTV News)

DISCUSSION: As cold air finished its lengthy journey from the southern periphery of the Arctic Circle over the last 7 to 10 days to the northern half of the contiguous United States by overnight Thursday of last week, big changes came rather quickly. The primary result of this cold air intrusion was simply severely frigid cold air which overtook large parts of the central and eastern United States. As noted throughout social media over the past few days, this has been a near-record or actual record-breaking cold air outbreak across many parts of the nation during what is now a 4-day cold speel across a large chunk of the United States.


Note how in the graphic above (courtesy of Meteorologist Jessica Lebel from KKTV News located in Colorado Springs, Colorado), overnight lows on Sunday into MOnday reached as far as 20 degrees (Fahrenheit) below zero in some spots in their coverage area and in many places beyond there as well! As this cold air continues to persist, it is imperative to always be mindful of the inherent dangers associated with very dry, cold air (e.g., namely hypothermia, frostbite,etc.). Hence, it is always critical to be properly dressed (i.e., in several layers without leaving any sensitive parts of the body exposed to these frigid temperatures). Moreover, even while being properly prepared for these frigid conditions, it is still advisable to not remain outside in such cold weather unnecessarily for long periods.

To learn more about other high-impact weather events from across North America, be sure to click here!

©2016 Meteorologist Jordan Rabinowitz