Dangerously Cold Friday Night

Friday night will be the coldest in nearly a decade (see previous blog postings for details) for much of Central Virginia, with lows plunging into the single digits and teens. The record low to beat January 17 in Richmond is minus one from 1977, and I do not think temperatures will fall quite that low. The coldest temperatures will be behind us after bottoming out Saturday early morning. However, temperatures will still be slightly below average levels for mid-January in Central Virginia.

In fact, the U.S. is currently split between two extremes right now. The West is unseasonably warm, while the East is unusually cold.

Here are some of the record lows set today in the Eastern half of the U.S.:
Caribou, ME -37
St Cloud, MN -34
Waterloo, IA -34 (all-time record low temp for January)
Spencer, IA -28
Montpelier, VT -26
Bangor, ME -25
Rockford, IL -25
Concord, NH -24
Peoria, IL -21
South Burlington, VT -21
Fort Wayne, IN -19
South Bend, IN -19
Detroit, MI -15
Hot Springs, AR 20

Alaska has been swinging between extreme cold and record warmth in the last week. Just a week ago, much of Alaska plunged to -30 to -40 degrees. One week later, temperatures soared into the 40s and 50s. Here are some of the record highs set today in Alaska:
Fort Greely, AK 50
Central, AK 48
Fairbanks, AK 42 (Fairbanks had a high of -34 degrees a week ago on Jan 11!)

Here are some of the record highs set today in the West:
Salinas, CA 84
Monterey, CA 78
Oakland, CA 72
Redmond, OR 62

The pattern in place across the U.S. that made for unusual warmth in the West coupled with bitter cold in the East will continue through the weekend. A storm system will approach Virginia Sunday, bringing a decent chance for light snow and flurries in the state Sunday night into early Monday.

--Carrie