Southeast to be Slammed by Arctic Front

This week will see the first major arctic front of the season, as a massive front of cold air and snow sweeps southeast across the nation. Northern and midwestern states have already been affected, and some areas are facing wind chill temperatures of -50 degrees Fahrenheit. Chicago, for instance, had major concerns arise with the city’s infrastructure, with pipelines freezing and breaking across the city, prompting road and water management crews to fight the four feet of snow and subzero temperatures. By Tuesday night, rail workers were using open flames to keep track switches from freezing; a misfiring switch could cause a train to derail. Interestingly, this most recent blast of frigid temperatures arrived one year to the date of the 2014 Polar Vortex, which plummeted temperatures across much of the nation to record lows.

According to a representative from NOAA in Morristown, Tn, this week’s blast of cold air, while certainly a shock considering the recent mild weather trend, is not expected to be as intense as the 2014 weather event. However, the temperatures will plunge into potentially risky low numbers, particularly for the elderly and pets. The Arctic front will be affecting Tennessee as early as Wednesday morning, and is projected to lead to temperatures in the low to mid-single digits Wednesday night and Thursday morning, with wind chill factors to be much lower in some areas. In preemption, many Tennessee school systems have called off for Thursday, as the critically low temperatures will likely present problems for morning buses and school water systems.