Historic Jan '19 Cold Wave - Polar Vortex Intrusion

[Hawkeye]

-20 here in town, -23 at the airport.... wind chill in the -50s.

[OKwx2k4]

Long time lurker, first time poster (I also posted this in the January Discussion). I really enjoy the information provided on this forum.

 

I know this is a weather forum but I have a couple solutions for those who struggle to find warmth in the cold (this is for southeast Wisconsin): a warming shelter in the Milwaukee area is at 8100 W Capitol Drive in Milwaukee. Lyft is offering free transportation to warming shelters with the code "WIJAYDEN19." Don't forget to check on the elderly, neighbors, pets. Finally, keep up with prayers for those struggling to find warmth for themselves or loved ones.

 

If anybody has any solutions for warming shelters in your areas, please feel free to provide suggestions.

 

Again, thanks to everyone's dedication to weather on here. It really is a breath of fresh air.

Welcome. Great post and thoughtful reminder.

[dubuque473]

No mail delivery today...I have not seen that before here.

 

-25 with -55 right now.

[Tom]

While not as brutally cold as some of you guys, its a rather nippy -19F and a WC -44F...I'm hearing many creeks and cracks around the house and on my patio deck.  Some loud ones also.  Kinda creepy!  Ton's of condensation on the windows and even in some spots on the walls!  I've never witnessed that before.

[Tom]

Darn, looks like we will miss the all-time record low high by 2 degrees.  Only got down to -10F at midnight and the record is at -11F.  So close!

[Tom]

May the "Vortex" be with you...this is a 500mb animation you do not see quite often and one I will remember for a very long time...looks like it tracked near MSP, across N Wisco and into Ontario.

 

 

[Minny_Weather]

Shorts and t-shirt weather here. -10.8°F, WC -23°F.

[Grizzcoat]

Have to work at midnight- love to winter camp - got a new -40 bag for Christmas with no time to head to the Boreal Forest of N.MN which I usually do = this - No bugs. Bring it NANOOK!!

 

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Update on how things went-

 

Everything went fine. Until I thought I had left my truck keys (again have to get ready for work at 10:30pm) in my coat which was outside my bag- then wasn't. Blew against a fence. Spent 10 minutes looking for keys in snow. Thank goodness I had left them inside the house!! That ended things at about 9:45pm. Otherwise, very impressed with the overall sleep system and was quite comfortable to be totally honest. The wind howling was epic! When i got inside the outdoor temp registered -14.2F and the wind was around 25kts Gusting to 35mph. Not my coldest night outside, but it was outside a tent fully exposed to ma nature.

[Clinton]

-4 this morning with a wind chill of -30 it's cold! Still dropping.

[Madtown]

-25.6

[Tom]

Update on how things went-

 

Everything went fine. Until I thought I had left my truck keys (again have to get ready for work at 10:30pm) in my coat which was outside my bag- then wasn't. Blew against a fence. Spent 10 minutes looking for keys in snow. Thank goodness I had left them inside the house!! That ended things at about 9:45pm. Otherwise, very impressed with the overall sleep system and was quite comfortable to be totally honest. The wind howling was epic! When i got inside the outdoor temp registered -14.2F and the wind was around 25kts Gusting to 35mph. Not my coldest night outside, but it was outside a tent fully exposed to ma nature.

Your THE most hardcore person I know of that endures this bitter cold stuff!  Glad your safe and sound.

[Tom]

Wow, temp has dropped 3 degrees in the last hour...down to -22F, incredible...WC -49F...simply amazing what nature can do at these latitudes.

[Tom]

As the lobe of the Polar Vortex rotated through N Wisco, last night's 00z sounding was a memorable one...

 

 

 

The lobe of polar air is seen on satellite rotating through the
Great Lakes early this morning, with the 00Z sounding last evening
from GRB having a near record low 500mb height for their location
of 493 dm. The true Arctic front of this system has lived up to
its name, with west-northwest winds gusting 25 to 35 mph early
this morning having surged continental polar air in. Temperatures
continue to tumble into the -20s and should be for most is not
the entire area by 9 a.m. as the peak cold pocket at 925mb of -33C
rotates overhead. 

[VMB443]

-23 with a -52 windchill.

[St Paul Storm]

Temp still dropping since last check at 5am, down to -27F in downtown St Paul. The weather station at a school in the neighborhood is showing an amazing -31F. Cracks and booms all over the house. Even the lake out back is making thunderous booms.

 

My weather station froze, so no reading.

[Minny_Weather]

Temp is rrrrrrrrrising here. We'll get above zero today! -10.1*F.

[Madtown]

-26.7

[Minny_Weather]

Fargo, ND reported -33*F with a WCF of -53*F. International Falls with -35/-55.

[Madtown]

hit it -27

[East Dubzz]

Hit -28 here & -55 wind chills.

[MNTonka]

-30 in the backyard!

[shakjen]

Hit -29, -52 wind chill. Around 3:00am.

[St Paul Storm]

-30 in the backyard!

I forgot....where are you at again roughly?

[Grizzcoat]

I forgot....where are you at again roughly?

I have a buddy in Blaine- he had -34.7F. Another buddy in Coon rapids had -29.7F. I cannot vouch for the accuracy.

[Grizzcoat]

-Only took 8396 days( Feb 4th, 1996 -20F) for DSM to officially record a temp of -20F or lower. 6:54AM DSM -20F 1/30/19

[Cfweather]

No mail delivery today...I have not seen that before here.

-25 with -55 right now.

The booms and pops last night in my house and from the deck were something else last night. A couple were loud enough to wake me up.

-25 here on our way up to a balmy -15.

I really hope it doesn’t get as cold tonight as they are saying....

[MNTonka]

I forgot....where are you at again roughly?

East side of St. Paul. Beaver lake area.

[Grizzcoat]

East side of St. Paul. Beaver lake area.

That's nuts.(-30F)  Very impressive to get that cold of air (CAA)  across most of the N half of the Cities.

[St Paul Storm]

East side of St. Paul. Beaver lake area.

That’s right. My in-laws live over there in North St Paul. Father in law just said he’s showing -29F. The wind isn’t howling but it’s still enough to really rip at the skin. Just stepped outside...it’s intense.

[East Dubzz]

Was outside briefly on my way to work and can once again confirm it’s cold.

[St Paul Storm]

NWS office just hit -30F as well. It’s....still.....dropping.

[East Dubzz]

So we broke the record low this morning. We’re likely going to break the record low tomorrow morning. We’re going to probably obliterate the record low for a high today. Only question is if we can push the all-time record low of -32. Forecast is currently -31.

[snowstorm83]

Though this is the coldest temp I've ever felt (-9), it actually doesn't feel that bad. I wonder how much clouds will hold down temps today, they weren't really in the forecast until yesterday. May also get some light snow.

[Stormy]

Bottomed out at -24° and the minimum wind chill -51°. Currently -20° temp

[Tom]

I’m seriously amazed what is going on now here in Chicago. Downtown looks like a ghost town. “The Day After Tomorrow” is a fitting resemblence as the city is currently enduring the coldest anomalies relative to normal across the entire Northern Hemisphere! This is historic. This is something I will never forget.

[gosaints]

Central wisconsin weather station at lather hit -43 air temperature

[jaster220]

Worst combo (so far) of Vis/temp/WC in Marshall

 

[snowstorm83]

Starting to snow (guess it goes here?) never seen snow at a sub zero temp.

[Niko]

Though this is the coldest temp I've ever felt (-9), it actually doesn't feel that bad. I wonder how much clouds will hold down temps today, they weren't really in the forecast until yesterday. May also get some light snow.

That is true. It can be -20F and feel okay to be outside (being bundled up ofc), if, there is no WC. It is all about how bad the wcf is.

[Niko]

-25.6

Wow! Very impressive cold.