Temperatures fell to freezing or below in all 50 states early Wednesday morning
Temperatures fell to freezing or below in all 50 states early Wednesday morning
A house in Buffalo, New York, is covered by the season’s first big snowfall of the year.
No matter where you woke up this morning, you probably thought, it’s too cold! You’re right.
Jeff Masters is meteorology director at the online site Weather Underground. He says the low temperatures are normal for January, but not November. It's 15 degrees to 35 degrees below average over a big chunk of the country, thanks to some arctic air.
Temperatures fell to freezing or below in all 50 states early Wednesday morning, from the highest mountains of Hawaii to snow-covered Buffalo in New York.
A Severe Storm
Buffalo, New York, was hit hard with more than 6 feet of snow in some parts of the city. In response, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for the western New York counties most impacted by the snow. The storm left residents stuck in their homes as officials tried to clear massive snow mounds before a second storm hits Wednesday night. Authorities say the storm is responsible for five deaths.
A 132-mile stretch of the state thruway in western New York remained closed as authorities try to rescue drivers stranded on a Buffalo-area section of the highway. Officials and state police did not provide information on how many people remained stranded.
Snow also fell in other Great Lake states, including northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan; where up to two feet of snow blew ashore. Those areas will get a break today before late Wednesday into the morning Thursday.
What to Expect This Winter
The Farmers’ Almanac has been published every year since 1818. It makes long-range weather predications and claims its predictions are accurate around 80% of the time. Those forecasts are based on a secret mathematical formula that considers factors like sunspots, tidal action, and the position of planets.
The 2014 prediction of a “C-O-L-D” winter was spot-on, given the polar vortex. The editors even correctly forecast that a snowstorm would hit at the same time the Super Bowl was taking place, in February. Fortunately, for the players and fans, the storm swept in the morning after the big game.
According to the 2015 edition of the Farmers’ Almanac, this winter will be as bitterly cold and snowy as last winter. The guide predicts colder-than-normal and wetter-than-usual weather for three-quarters of the country east of the Rocky Mountains. “Shivery and shovelry are back,” managing editor Sandi Duncan says. “We’re calling for some frigid conditions, bitter conditions.”
But, don’t get ready to build a snowman just yet. Normal November temperatures are expected to return by Friday for much of the nation.