Georgia is Getting Impacted By an Arctic Blast
After much of November being warmer than expected across the U.S., that trend has taken a drastic turn, and even some weather forecasters and experts are surprised by it. An arctic blast is coming down through the Midwest, Northeast and even into the South, bringing very below normal temperatures to much of the country, even Georgia. Now, Georgia is bracing for unusually cold weather for much of early December. So, put on your fuzzy, cozy clothing and get ready for a cold weather blast.
Georgia Weather is Getting Frigid
Looking at Georgia, according to the weather experts at Weather.com, all week is expected to see below-normal temperatures throughout much of the area. While the bulk of the super cold weather will be north of Georgia, it will get chilly, and Atlanta will get down into the 20s by Friday. By this weekend, temperatures rise again, but by mid-week next week, Atlanta is looking at dipping into the 30s again. In Augusta, the pattern is similar, with temperatures in the 20s on Thursday and Friday, then warming up, btu then getting down into the 30s again later next week.
This cold trend is apparent for much of the country, so everyone is going to have to bundle up. “Many areas across the northern tier will start the month of December with temperatures well below historical averages,” Paul Pastelok, lead long-range expert for AccuWeather, said.
The Southeast, Midwest and Northeast are especially getting hit, with AccuWeather’s Alex Sosnowski stating, “Freezing temperatures will lunge deep into the Southeast, and the frigid air will be wind-driven and penetrating in the Midwest and Northeast.”
So, what’s an arctic blast? “Typically, very cold air in the Arctic is trapped inside a high-altitude swirl of winds called the polar vortex, which is surrounded by a lower-altitude band called the polar jet stream,” Scientific American explains. “If the polar vortex gets disrupted, however, the jet stream can become wavy and carry frigid air much farther south than usual in an Arctic blast.” They add that this cold air can bring snow and ice and it’s bitterly cold.
According to First Coast News, an arctic blast, which they say was “coined by the media,” means “a rapid southward push of cold air from the poles, extending beyond its usual reach. The phenomenon is linked to the current phase of the polar vortex or Arctic low within the Arctic Oscillation (AO).”
