January–March 2014 North American cold wave

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2014 North American polar vortex
TypeCold wave, ice storm, and snowfall
FormedJanuary 4, 2014
DissipatedActive
Lowest pressure974 mbar (28.8 inHg)
Fatalities16[1]
Areas affected Canada
 United States

The 2014 North American polar vortex is an ongoing extreme weather event affecting parts of Canada and the United States, extending as far south as Nashville, Tennessee.[2] A cold front originating in the Arctic, initially combined with the January 2nd Nor'easter, the polar vortex left heavy snowfall and broke coldest temperature records throughout the United States, leading to company, school, and road closures and mass flight cancellations.[1][3][4]

Snow

Heavy snowfall occurred on the leading edge of the weather pattern. Southeastern Michigan received 5 to 18 inches (130 to 460 mm) of snow.[5]

Snowfall was lighter farther south, with between 0.5 and 2 inches (13 and 51 mm) of snow falling in Tennessee.[6]

Record lows

On January 5, 2014 the temperature at Green Bay, Wisconsin was reported at −18 °F (−28 °C), which the National Weather Service confirmed as the coldest temperature on record for that date, breaking a low set in 1979.[7] On January 6, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport recorded its lowest temperature on record for that date, −15 °F (−26 °C), breaking a record set in 1884 and tied in 1988.[4]

The city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, recorded a near record low on December 31, 2013, of −37.9 °C (−36.2 °F), with a windchill of −48 °C (−54 °F). Temperatures on the North Pole were also registered at −29 °C (−20 °F).

Damage

Between 13 and 16 deaths have been attributed to the polar vortex, with dangerous roadway conditions and extreme cold being cited as causes.[7][8]

A power failure in Newfoundland, late on January 5, left 190,000 customers without electricity. Most of the outages were restored by the following day.[9] 24,000 lost power in Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri.[10]

Between January 5 and January 6, temperatures fell some 50 degrees in Middle Tennessee, dropping to a high of 9 degrees (F) on Monday, January 6 in Nashville. The strain on the power supply has left 1,200 customers in Nashville without power and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency declared a state of emergency.[6]

Government response

Schools, roads, and public offices have been closed in several affected regions. The weather has also grounded thousands of flights.

In Minnesota, all public schools statewide were closed on January 6 by order of Governor Mark Dayton.[11] In Indiana, more than fifty of the state's ninety-two counties, including virtually everywhere north of Indianapolis, closed all roads to all traffic except emergency vehicles.[12] In Michigan, the mayor of Lansing, Virg Bernero, issued a snow emergency prohibiting all non-essential travel as well as closing down non-essential government offices.[13]

At least 3,600 flights were cancelled on January 6, and several thousand were cancelled over the preceding weekend.[1] Amtrak cancelled scheduled passenger rail service having connections through Chicago due to heavy snows or extreme cold. [14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "N America weather: Polar vortex brings record temperatures". BBC News - US & Canada. BBC. January 6, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  2. ^ Matt Smith; Josh Levs (January 7, 2014). "'It's too darn cold': Historic freeze brings rare danger warning". CNN. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  3. ^ Calamur, Krishnadev (January 5, 2014). "'Polar Vortex' Brings Bitter Cold, Heavy Snow To U.S." The Two Way. National Public Radio. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Preston, Jennifer (January 6, 2014). "'Polar Vortex' Brings Coldest Temperatures in Decades". The Lede. The New York Times. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  5. ^ http://www.clickondetroit.com/blob/view/-/23796294/data/1/-/ltm3g6/-/Snow-totals-Jan-6-2013-pdf.pdf
  6. ^ a b "Dangerously Cold Temperatures Settle Into Mid-State". Nashville News Channel 5. January 6, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  7. ^ a b DeMarche, Edmund (January 4, 2014). "'Polar vortex' set to bring dangerous, record-breaking cold to much of US". FoxNews.com. Fox News. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  8. ^ Castellano, Anthony (3 January 2013). "At Least 13 Died in Winter Storm That Dumped More Than 2 Feet of Snow Over Northeast". ABC News.
  9. ^ CTVNews.ca Staff (6 January 2014). "Power restored to majority of customers in Newfoundland". CTV News. Bell Media. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
  10. ^ 'Historic and life-threatening' freeze brings rare danger warning, CNN, January 6, 2014
  11. ^ Gov. Orders Schools Closed Monday Over Dangerous Cold, CBS, 2014-01-03. Accessed 2014-01-06.
  12. ^ County Travel Status for 01/06/2014 00:20:11 EDT, Indiana Department of Homeland Security, 2014-01-06. Accessed 2014-01-06.
  13. ^ http://www.lansingmi.gov/media/view/mayordeclaressnowemergecy/6226
  14. ^ "Service Alert". Amtrak. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
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