A surge of unseasonably cold Arctic air sweeping across eastern North America will be followed by a second “Arctic blast” early next week, bringing the coldest air of the season thus far to the central and eastern United States. Temperatures some 15 to 25 degrees below average will be possible over much of the region early next week.
The National Weather Service is forecasting the potential for roughly 170 locations to see record-cold high temperatures from Monday through Wednesday. The front will move through the Northern Plains and upper Midwest on Sunday, into the Southern Plains and Ohio Valley on Monday, then through the East Coast and Deep South on Tuesday. Freezing weather is also possible as far south as parts of the Gulf Coast.
This image was captured by the NOAA-20 satellite's VIIRS instrument, which scans the entire Earth twice per day at a 750-meter resolution. Multiple visible and infrared channels allow it to detect atmospheric aerosols, such as dust, smoke and haze associated with industrial pollution and fires.