Boy what an incredible turnaround we are seeing across the Midwest over the past 24 to 48 hours as long standing warm records fell but now that the front has barrelled through Iowa, Illinois and adjacent areas, these same areas are now enduring a major winter storm with parts of Iowa receiving 1-2″ per hour snow rates, powerful icy winds accompanied by blowing and drifting. Nearly 8″ of snow has fallen over parts of Iowa following temperatures on Monday nearly 40 above normal. A world of cold is now being pulled in from Canada with some places seeing a 60-70 degree temperature fall with parts of Iowa pushing 0 tonight, near -10 tomorrow night. Remember it was well into the 60s throughout the state Monday.

When you see this kind of turnaround, this is what it’s all about. The wild extremes of US weather.

I’ve been alluding to the sharp boundary setting up across the country, seperating very cold, wintertime air across the West and now Midwest to the downright spring-like conditions in the East. The boundary inbetween is of course sliding east and has been causing big problems to areas between Louisiana and Illinois overnight and through this morning. As the front barrells east, so too does the cold and warm and while places shiver after sweating, there are parts of the Southeast which may approach all-time January records. The severe weather has been tracking through Mississippi, Alabama and now Georgia.

Here’s the current weather map across the US, note the carving out of much colder air across the very areas which were warmest over the past 2-3 days.

Unfortunately there is incredible warmth building out ahead of the front over the Southeast and this means a serious afternoon for severe thunderstorm production. Damaging wind, large hail, flooding rains and tornadoes are all possible.

Here’s today’s risk area!

Here are the current temperatures as of 12pm, note they are very spring-like, a lot of fuel for storms to feed off of with conditions worsening as the temperatures rise ahead of the front.

Today’s highs may push a late spring-like 83-87 degrees from Jacksonville, FL to Columbia, SC. According to the NWS in Charleston, Savannah topped a record 82 degrees yesterday, it could easily beat that today as SW winds increase as the front continues to advance towards the area.

Looking Back

This front started off well to the west with Lamar, Colorado enjoying a record high on Sunday of 72 degrees, within 24 hours it was snowing. Monday was record warm over particularly Kansas. While Texas enjoyed 70s and 80s with even the first 90-degree day of 2013 with a 91-degree high reached in Corpus Christi, TX. However it was all about Kansas and SW Missouri on Monday which made headlines as both Topeka, KS and Columbia, MO both hit a stunning 77-degrees. This set a new all-time January record high in Topeka while it was an all-time Jan tie in Columbia. This absurd warmth continued eastbound just as the arctic front did and by yesterday, heavy snows broke out across parts of Nebraska.

Here are the highs from yesterday across the country. Check out Kansas, note the arctic front’s presence with a high of only 32 degrees in the northwest corner of the state while it topped out at around 70 in the southeast corner. Much of Kansas will stay in the mid-30s at best with some northern and central locales holding in the mid-20s with snow showers today.

Chicago To Go From A Record 63° Yesterday to 0° Thurs Night

Chicago topped out at 63-degrees yesterday, a stunning 33 degrees above normal for Jan 29th and this was only the 21st time in 143 years in which a 60+degree day in January has been achieved. This 63-degree high, smashed a record dating all the way back to 1914 of 57 degrees. Record rains came in last night as the front advanced into the area and now sleet and snow showers are now working in today, amazingly, this morning’s upper 30s is the warmest it’s going to be for quite some time. Temperatures will fall throughout today and may push towards single digits tonight. As arctic air takes hold, the high tomorrow may struggle to get out of the LOW TEENS with a shot at 0 tomorrow night into Friday morning for the 2nd time this season. No subzero low was set last winter here.

Here are today’s forecast highs.

-30s For North Dakota & Minnesota

The core of this bitter arctic air is centred over North Dakota and Minnesota right now, note in the above chart the HIGH of -10 degree up in Minot, ND. Lows tonight should sink towards -30 over parts of North Dakota with highs tomorrow barely getting above -15 in spots. By tomorrow night, Minnesota takes centre stage with lows possibly dipping towards -35 in Intl Falls.

As the front nudges into Florida, so the core of cold tracks into the Upper Midwest, The high bottoms out near 0 in Minneapolis tomorrow, while Chicago musters a bitter 13 degree high. By Friday, the Windy City should see it’s coldest with a high perhaps struggling to reach 11 degrees following a subzero low. As for such areas as Indiana and Ohio, they enjoyed rare 60s both yesterday and this morning, but snow is moving in from the northwest later today and tonight. Temperatures fall through today and into the 20s, perhaps teens by tomorrow morning.

Incredibly, Cincinatti, OH saw readings into the early overnight period hold in the mid-60s while Clarksville, TN held at a summer-like 71 degrees at midnight, yes on a January night, according to TWC’s Eric Fisher.

In just the past hour, I’ve seen a report which says a record high of 65 degrees was reached this MORNING in Cleveland, OH, they’re now under a SNOW WATCH!

The warmth will peak over the Northeast and up and down the Eastern Seaboard today but big changes come here with snow and highs barely above freezing by Friday. Lows should return to the teens from Boston down to Washington DC, perhaps extending as far south as Richmond, even the VA-NC border by Saturday morning.

Atlanta heads back into record breaking territory with a high near 75 this afternoon. By Friday, they may struggle to even reach 43 degrees with a cold northwest wind. Lows Friday into Saturday will dive into the 20s perhaps all the way into interior North Florida.

Finally, here are the forecasted high’s and lows according to TWC for the remainder of this week.

Will have another post later which looks at next week and beyond, stay tuned!

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