Air temperature at 2 meters above ground at 7 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (12:00 UTC), January 15, 2024. NASA 
Francisco Martin Leon 01/18/2024 11:30 6 mins
As the air mass moved south, subfreezing temperatures settled over Montana and the Dakotas on January 13 and 14. Air temperatures at a National Weather Service (NWS) station in Billings, Montana, reached -34°C on January 13, the lowest temperature recorded there since the site was founded in 1999.
Intense and widespread Arctic onset
The thermal feelingwhich describes how cold human skin feels due to the wind, reached as low as -51°C in Montana and the Dakotas. A wind chill of -29°C can cause frostbite in just 30 minutes. According to the weather service, until January 14th A wind chill warning was in effect for more than 95 million citizens. Dangerously cold temperatures prevailed across large parts of the United States for several days.
Minimums fall to historical records for the month and year #Canada And #UNITED STATES
January 15, 2024 pic.twitter.com/MWTQDQQncM— RAM Meteorology Fan Magazine (@RAM_meteo) January 15, 2024
The map above shows the air temperature 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) above the ground at 7 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (12:00 p.m. EST) on January 15, as represented by the Goddard Earth Observation System, GEOS.
GEOS is a global atmospheric model that uses mathematical equations to represent physical processes. Measurements of temperature, humidity, wind speed and other conditions are compiled from NASA satellites and other sources and then added to the model to accurately simulate observed reality.
Cold air spread to southern Texas and Louisiana, where temperatures fell to -12°C on January 15th and 16th. On January 16th the airport Houston, Texas recorded -7ºCa new historical minimum for this date.
MODIS sensor image from NASA's Aqua satellite on January 16, 2024. See text for details. POT
The freezing air was accompanied by heavy snowfallespecially downwind on the Great Lakes.
Lake effect snowfall
As Arctic air flowed over relatively warm open water, it warmed quickly and absorbed the moisture needed to form narrow bands of clouds. These long parallel bands of cumulus clouds, known as Cloud roadsis seen in this natural color image taken on January 16, 2024 by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite.
Heat and moisture transfer from the lakes to the lower atmosphere that produced Snow with a “lake effect”., leaving 2.5 to 3 inches of snow per hour in leeward cities. On January 13th and 14th, areas of Western New York were buried under more than two inches of snow. According to media reports, dangerous conditions forced the National Football League to postpone a playoff football game in Buffalo, New York.
Incredible drone video shows the icy shores of Lake Michigan from Michigan City, Indiana this week. pic.twitter.com/5q5qxcMxzb
– AccuWeather (@accuweather) January 18, 2024
The Great Lakes had unusually little iceor so far this winter, and the Lack of ice cover leads to more lake effect snow. According to AccuWeather, Nearly 27 inches of snow has accumulated in Grand Rapids, Michigan since early 2024, with the majority of this falling between January 8th and 16th. The city exceeded the typical 58.5 cm received in January and was expected to receive even more by January 20.
Another blast of frigid Arctic air is expected to sweep across the eastern half of the country on January 19th and 20th.. While the system won't be as extreme as this first wave, the weather service said, “daytime maximum temperatures could be 20 to 30 degrees below normal in the plains up to the Mississippi Valley, and the wind would make it feel even colder.” “
pictures of NASA Earth Observatory taken by Michael Garrison, using GEOS data from NASA GSFC Global Modeling and Assimilation Office, MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. history of Emily Cassidy.
This entry was posted in News on January 18, 2024 by Francisco Martín León