Early 2014 North American cold wave

The cold wave in winter 2013/14 in North America was an extreme weather event in the first half of January 2014, the parts of Canada and the United States was concerned. An arctic cold front in conjunction with a Nor'easter (Northeast storm ) drew cold air from the polar vortex on the North American continent, which led to heavy snowfall and cold records.

Meteorology

Course

The polar vortex in the press many times (' polar vortex ') named third cold event of the season formed from Tuesday, January 2, 2014, a blizzard from. A powerful deep Hercules led cold air deep into North America. Especially the rooms of Boston, New York and Pennsylvania recorded storm and snowfall to a good half meter (2 ft).

Since about January 4, large parts of the United States affected by a cold wave. In southern Michigan south of the Great Lakes ( 42 ° N, latitude as Rome) fell by up to 50 cm of snow in Tennessee (36 ° N, south than Tunis ) up to 5 cm.

On Sunday, January 5, temperatures of -28 ° C were measured in Green Bay, the lowest ever measured value. At O'Hare International Airport in Chicago -26 ° C were measured on January 6, also a record.

On Crane Lake in Minnesota -36 ° C were on Monday, January 6 measured with a wind chill wind chill temperature of -60 ° C.

On Tuesday, January 7, the cold wave again reached the east coast of the United States. There, the temperature in many places fell within 24 hours from 12 ° C to -14 ° C. New York reported the morning 4 degrees Fahrenheit ( -13.8 ° C); This broke a 118 years old record.

Wednesday, January 8, a new low with 939 hPa central pressure over the Davis Strait off Labrador reached a tentative maximum value.

Causes and large climatic situation

As early as December 6, 2013, had been a cold snap in the United States, with heavy snowfalls in the northeast in the following week. In Central and Eastern Canada, there were about 20 to 23 December 2013 respectively, an ice storm ( Toronto ice storm ).

A high over the North Pacific and the deep Hercules over the North Atlantic worked together. These two giant vortex of air brought polar air in the room as Nor'easter Midwest - deep penetrated Hudson Bay ( " Americas Icebox " ) in the southern USA - Great Lakes. The effects of the cold were amplified by wind, storm or snow storm that reached by the strong pressure gradient storm strengths.

The central phenomenon is an abnormally strong oscillation of the jet stream in the northern hemisphere ( Arctic Oscillation, AO ), a standing wave with only two periods roughly along the 50th degree of latitude forms (atmospheric blocking). The index of the Arctic Oscillation dropped from mid-December to early January rapidly from 4 to -2. Thus, the air masses of temperate latitudes are regionally intensively mixed with the polar air and transported far to the north and south. At the North Pole prevailed at January 5, the same temperatures as in central North America.

About Eastern Siberia formed already explosive later in December, a heat wave out. ( by more than 10 ° C in Vladivostok, 1st week of January Novosibirsk much warmer than Chicago). At the same time the deep Pacific warm air transported across the American west coast to Alaska ( 29 ° C in Florida, 6.1. ) The cold air thrust repeatedly attained even Hawaii ( snow on Mauna Kea 28.12; . -8 ° C at 6.1. ). The warm air mass ahead of Christmas over North America were pushed eastward across the North Atlantic. Deep Hercules, then also called Christina, led to its other side subtropical warm air to Europe ( 16 ° C München, 6.1. ), Very high waves beat on the Atlantic coasts of the Iberian peninsula, and then moved with severe flooding across the British Isles ( see storm surge on the European Atlantic coast in February 2014 and floods in England in 2014 ). An extreme Kältwelle prevails in Central Asia (-11 ° C Kurigram, northern Bangladesh, the end of December, a number of fatalities ). In parallel, the southern hemisphere on an exceptionally stable temperature distribution of the summer heat. In Antarctica, it is relatively friendly, in Australia there is an extreme heat wave ( 54 ° C Oodnadatta 3.1. ), So also in South America, with a heat wave in the south of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay ( 40 ° C Rio de Janeiro, 9.1. ), and a long-lasting drought in Chile (severe forest fires).

Follow after the cold wave

On balance, by the natural disaster more than 180 million people will be affected. More than 20 deaths are attributed to the effects of the cold snap, caused especially by the poor road conditions and the extreme cold.

Many flights were canceled out, as common school education. Train to Chicago were partially deleted.

In Newfoundland were by a power outage on January 5, about 190,000 households without electricity.

In the southern states of Louisiana and Mississippi, farmers rushed to an early lemon harvest in order to forestall their destruction by frost. Farmers in the southern U.S. are worried about their crops.

Just three weeks after the cold wave in North America, the temperature dropped in Northern Europe. This period is often observed.