It (was) COLD Outside

That Polar Vortex...

The Polar Vortex that has hit the United States has resulted in extremely low temperatures that have led to canceled flights and dangerous conditions all over the country. The lobe of Polar Vortex has abnormally shifted far south over the Great Lakes region. Normally, the center of the Polar Vortex has always been around the North Pole.

Some of the coldest parts are in the southern Lower part of Michigan which has experienced a temperature drop of 20 degrees below zero. However, this is actually better than the western part of Wisconsin, where temperatures dropped to a staggering 40 degrees below zero!

There was a wind chill advisory which was issued by the National Weather Service, which ran for Saginaw, Genesee, Midland, Bay, Huron, Lapeer, Tuscola, St. Clair and Sanilac counties. The wind chill values hit 15 to 35 degrees below zero!

The Worst Polar Vortex

For the past two days, it is likely that your freezer has been warmer than the weather outside. However, the good news is that the Polar Vortex of 2019 is actually warmer than that of 2014.  Data from 2014 shows temperatures as low as negative 14 and highs of zero degrees.

Currently, temperatures are moving above zero this Friday and will be almost 50 by Sunday. The February of 2014 following the Polar Vortex was unusually cold and snowy, especially in Michigan. The snow was 25 inches deep and February 2019 seems to be following the same trend.

The 2019 Polar Vortex has begun shifting over the Eastern Upper Peninsula early this morning, promising a temperature rise to the highs of 50 degrees above zero.

Our Thoughts

Happy. Happy that it's behind us but you can make sure the warm jackets are on stand-by just in case. Please bring on the spring!