The latest and perhaps last Arctic air mass has plunged into the heartland, dropping temperatures to seasonal lows. Much of the northern Midwest won't reach zero today and Chicago is expecting its coldest day in 11 years. Lake-effect snows have re-ignited along the lee side of the Great Lakes and central Florida will have highs in the fifties after deadly tornados, triggered by the cold front, ravaged the area. Here in Missouri, we expect a high of 20, despite sunny skies.
Meanwhile, Alaska is relatively warm as the jet stream is pushing mild air up from the Pacific. This warm front has displaced the Arctic air which, guided by a dip in the jet, has dropped into the lower forty-eight. Now that we are almost 6 weeks past the winter solstice, we can hope that the higher sun angle will begin to moderate the Polar conditions and make any further outbreaks less severe. As they say, time will tell.
