Polar Vortex Plunge to Bring 'Brutally Cold' Air to Midwest With 'Life Threatening Wind Chills

[bbodb1]

My parents grew up in Hibbing. They always said the Twin Cities was like Florida compared to the Iron Range.

....where water goes to explode!

 

[MULTIZ321]

There's Cold - and Then There Was February 1899
By Christopher Klein/ News/ History/ history.com

"The “Great Arctic Outbreak” of February 1899 set temperature and snowfall records from Michigan to Florida that still stand today.

Snow weighed down the fronds of palm trees of Fort Myers, Florida, while an icy crust formed on the Mississippi River in New Orleans. Nearly three feet of snow buried the nation’s capital, and ice encased steamboats on Lake Michigan. There’s cold—and then there was the Great Arctic Outbreak of February 1899.

The polar vortex delivered an icy slap to every corner of the continental United States, making all other Snowmageddons to follow seem mild by comparison.

The bitter cold first hit the West Coast in the first days of February as temperatures reached lows of 33 degrees Fahrenheit in San Diego and 12 degrees in Seattle. The frigid air then barreled east with freezing temperatures reaching as far south as the Gulf Coast and Florida Panhandle.

On February 11, residents of Fort Logan, Montana, awoke to a temperature of -61 degrees. Wind chills in southern Texas were estimated at -25 to -40 degrees, downright balmy compared to the wind chills approaching -100 degrees on the northern Plains. Between February 11 and February 14, the Great Arctic Outbreak set record low temperatures that still stand in Grand Rapids (-24 degrees), Wichita (-22 degrees), Oklahoma City (-17 degrees), Atlanta (-9 degrees), Fort Worth (-8 degrees) and Baton Rouge (2 degrees)....."

A snowball fight on the steps of the Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida in 1899.

State Archives of Florida




Richard

 

[Steve Fatula]

Wow, didn't know about 1899. That's amazing! -2 in Florida, snow in Tampa, ouch!

That's not to say it wasn't cold this time of course, though not here, our "cold" day was in the upper 40's.

 

[MULTIZ321]

I heard on the radio this morning something good may come from this extremely cold weather. An invasive species, the emerald ash borer, may be significantly killed off by these temperatures. According to the news report the EAB cannot survive below -20. The extended period of cold might kill off these awful bugs. I hope it takes some of the other invasive species with it. Asian beetle, stink bugs, earwigs etc. Although it will only be temporary I suppose. The ones surviving in neighboring states will move on in.

Hi Sandy,

Here's more info on what you reported.

Polar Vortex Could Knock Back Invasive Tree Killers - For a While
By April Reese/ Conservation/ Scientific American/ scientificamerican.com

"It’s been so cold in the upper Midwest this week that even a few minutes outside invites frostbite. But there is least one upside to the polar vortex deep freeze: The extreme cold is likely wiping out millions of invasive tree-killing insects across a broad swath of territory from South Dakota to Minnesota, offering hope for at least a temporary reprieve from their incessant spread into a steadily warming north.

A swelling army of invasive insects—including the gypsy moth, introduced to the U.S. from Asia in the late 1800s, and the emerald ash borer, which arrived in Michigan in 2009 (most likely on shipping palettes from China)—have killed millions of trees across the northern states. They continue to colonize new territory, aided by warming trends that are rendering more areas hospitable to them. The consequences for forest ecosystems and cities alike have been swift and severe. The emerald ash borer has already wiped out 100 percent of ash trees in parts of Ohio and Indiana, says Robert Venette, a research biologist with the U.S. Forest Service’s (USFS) Northern Research Station. As infestations spread northward, the one-of-a-kind black ash swamps of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin could become treeless marshlands—leaving nearby areas more prone to flooding. Gypsy moths have defoliated millions of oak, birch, cottonwood and other tree species, causing millions of dollars’ worth of damage. The hemlock woolly adelgid, a sap-sucking native of eastern Asia that has decimated hemlock trees throughout the U.S. Northeast, is now encroaching into Midwest forests. “It’s a pretty big impact,” says Lee Frelich, director of the Center for Forest Ecology at the University of Minnesota, referring to all the region’s invading insects. “Hundreds of millions of trees have been killed.”

Although these insects are hardy enough to survive an involuntary trip across the world and thrive in unfamiliar territory, extreme cold is often their Achilles’ heel. The hemlock woolly adelgid cannot withstand temperatures below –4 degrees Fahrenheit, a 2008 USFS study found. Other invasive insects evolved in cold environments in their home countries and are equipped with impressive wintertime defenses—40 percent of the emerald ash borer’s body comprises an antifreeze-like substance, for example. And its larvae can tuck themselves under bark, where it can be as much as 5 degrees F warmer than the air. But even these cold-weather superstars are no match for the kind of temperatures now seizing much of the northern U.S......."

Emerald ash borer traces on a dead ash tree in Michigan. Credit: Getty Images

Emerald ash borer feeding on ash leaves. Credit: Getty Images



Richard

 

[SandyPGravel]

Live in the Buffalo, NY area. The City of Buffalo has issued a State of Emergency. The County of Erie has issues a State of Emergency. There are many travel bans in the suburbs. Temperature is currently 0 degrees F with wind chills expected to get as low as -35 degrees F. We are currently under official Blizzard conditions. They Greater Buffalo & Niagara Airport has closed. Sections of the I-90 and other major thorough fares are closed to traffic. One due to a 21 vehicle accident that includes a New York State Trooper.

While reading this I anticipated the last sentence to be "But the schools are open!"

 

[x3 skier]

Had to take out six 50’ ash trees in my yard the last two years. Shame the freeze didn’t come sooner.

Cheers

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

Had to take out six 50’ ash trees in my yard the last two years. .

Cheers

Having one take down & removed from our backyard in 2016 cost us over $ 3000 (C$) . That was the best price - from an insured tree removal company .
I had 2 or 3 higher $$ bids .

 

[Krteczech]

When they say -40 degrees is it Celsius or Fahrenheit?

There is not much difference between -40 C and -40 F an I remember from my 35 years experience in Minnesota.

 

[Krteczech]

I recall some snow days. But when I visit MN in the winter now, I hear schools declaring snow days in conditions that weren't considered when I was growing up.

But I don't remember school ever being called on account of cold.

I believe the reason for having Mpls schools closed during extremely cold weather is a safety concern. Possible school bus pickup delay, which is quite usual, results in prolonged exposure and frostbite.

 

[CanuckTravlr]

Had to take out six 50’ ash trees in my yard the last two years. Shame the freeze didn’t come sooner.

About three years ago we lost three 30'+ mature ash trees on the boulevard between the sidewalk and road in front of our home. They had been planted when our home was new 20 years ago. The emerald ash borer was the culprit and they took about 30 more trees on our large crescent over the next two years.

We had just started to have a beautiful, green canopy over the road in the summertime when we lost them. Fortunately they were on city property, so the city paid to remove and replace them. I offered to pay more to have more mature trees planted, but was told that they could not do that, for a number of reasons. So now we have 2" to 3" saplings (none of them ash trees) in their place. We will not live here long enough to see them mature again. Very sad, but I guess a first-world problem!

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

In the 1960's in our Minneapolis suburb (Richfield) the City planted boulevard trees. Like most cities Minneapolis had stately elm trees that provided full canopies over many streets, but the elms were being ravaged by Dutch elm disease.

So the city planted ash trees, because they weren't vulnerable to any known diseases. Now those ash trees are 40 years old and have become stately - and subject to disease.

 

[Sugarcubesea]

I can not get my 2016 Ford Explorer to start. Ugh

Took it into the dealership and found out I had a defective battery. I got a new battery since the car was still under warranty

 

[Sugarcubesea]

I've worked at the University of Michigan for 21 years. In that time, we've closed a total of two days for weather. At the end of Thursday, that will double to four days.

I just found out that we are due to have an ice storm on Wednesday. Dang, it’s been a brutal January

 

[SandyPGravel]

I just found out that we are due to have an ice storm on Wednesday. Dang, it’s been a brutal January

Where are you? I think we are getting some snow showers tomorrow in WI.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

I was wondering, while this has made US national news, why haven't we heard much from our hardy Canadian neighbors to the north?

Answer: Because they knew better and flew south to enjoy their timeshares in Mexico and the Caribbean! Cold? What cold...LoL

 

[Nick66]

I was wondering, while this has made US national news, why haven't we heard much from our hardy Canadian neighbors to the north?

Answer: Because they knew better and flew south to enjoy their timeshares in Mexico and the Caribbean! Cold? What cold...LoL

And those of us who stayed home have too cold and stiff fingers to type.

 

[moonstone]

I was wondering, while this has made US national news, why haven't we heard much from our hardy Canadian neighbors to the north?

Answer: Because they knew better and flew south to enjoy their timeshares in Mexico and the Caribbean! Cold? What cold...LoL

We are not in a southern timeshare but rather a rented apartment in sunny hot Belize! We had enough of the cold Canadian winters 4 years ago. We still have to listen to family and friends complain nearly daily of the cold and quantity of snow as we wipe the sweat off our brow and have another cold one!


~Diane

 

[SandyPGravel]

Now we have Frost Quakes...

Sounds like a line drive hitting the side of your house. Went on for several hours last night, some this morning too, but not as loud.