A Strong Cold Air Will Impact the Central and Eastern North America

From November 25 to 28, influenced by an upper-level cold vortex (Figure 1), the central and eastern regions of North America will experience heavy snowfall accompanied by strong winds and cooling weather. Parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan in the United States, as well as Ontario and Quebec in Canada, will see moderate to heavy snow, with localized areas experiencing severe to extreme blizzards. The additional snow depth is expected to be 6 to 14 cm, with some areas exceeding 16 cm. The cumulative snowfall in most of these regions will range from 20 to 38 mm, with localized totals exceeding 40 mm (Figure 2). These conditions will be accompanied by winds of 4 to 6 on the Beaufort scale, with gusts reaching 7 to 9. Temperatures in the central and eastern United States are expected to drop by 6 to 10°C, with parts of Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia experiencing drops of 12 to 14°C, and some areas seeing declines of over 16°C (Figure 3). Attention should be given to the adverse impacts of the severe cold and snowy weather on local power facilities, transportation, and other industries.

Figure 1  Forecast of 500 hPa Geopotential Height (Unit: dagpm) and 850 hPa Wind Field (Unit: m/s) at 12:00 on November 26 (UTC)

Figure 2  Accumulated Snowfall from 00:00 on November 25 to 12:00 on November 28 (UTC, Unit: mm)

Figure 3  48 hour Temperature Change Forecast at 2 meters above ground level as of 12:00 on November 28 (UTC, Unit: °C)

          Author: Yan Dachun                          Reviewer: Guan Yue

            English reviewer:  Wang Yi                                                            Issue approver:  Dai Kan