Arctic Blasts Coming Southward. Gardeners Prepare For Freezes

 Those of you who subscribe to my podcast know about the "Polar Vortex", the scary term used to describe dips in the jet stream during the winter season.  This week's podcast dealt with what it is and how often it happens.  It's a common feature of EVERY winter.  Sometimes it closes off over the Great Lakes keeping us cold for weeks.  That hasn't happened yet this year as the dips in the jet have been very progressive (moving) so the bitter cold doesn't linger.  

I see more of the same during the next 10 days meaning the true Arctic cold will just brush SE LA/MS with the core going farther to our east.

As the first low lifts back into Canada, you can already see another diving down out of Canada.  The good news is the super bitter cold is NOT over eastern Canada but back over Alaska.

Will many locations see some freezing temps behind tonight's cold front?  Absolutely, but not tonight.  Here's the forecast lows for Thursday & Friday mornings.

There will a brief warm up for Friday PM into Saturday before another lobe of the Polar Vortex dives down for Sunday & Monday.  The GFS model hints there could be some frozen precip here on Sunday, but I don't see that as temps look to be too warm.  Could things change?  Certainly, so you snow geeks need to keep the faith!  

Just looking at the 3 pm temp map gives you an idea why I'm saying the core of the cold will stay to our north & east.  Typically, when we see super freezing temps down to the South Shore, you look to the air coming down from Montana, Colorado & Texas.  Cutbank, Denver are in the 50s with Texas in the 60s.  RIGHT NOW, the next 10 days look generally below normal, but I don't see any pipe busting freezes coming.  Historically, the next 2 weeks are the coldest time of our Winter season.

Clouds are coming over us from the NW and you'll need the heavy weather gear later this evening as the winds shift to the north and increase.  The chill hasn't arrived yet, but it will after dark.

The 7 day has one front coming for tonight, another for Saturday PM with another next week.  What we'll need to pay attention to is that Arctic super cold in Alaska.  With the upper pattern having lobes of the Polar Vortex coming down every 2-3 days, we don't want that Alaska air to start flowing into the lower 48.  Regardless, the Great Lakes snow machine will be in full bloom and the snow cover will grow.  Then again, it's mid January and that's what's supposed to happen.  I do see another thaw coming towards the end of this month.  Stayed tuned!