Arctic Polar Blast Coming: Midwest Temperatures To Plunge 35 Below Average, Chicago Facing Record Lows

Zero Hedge

Following several weeks of economic data that has been, despite erroneous expectations of a Fed rate hike, one major disappointment after another including regional Fed reports, housing data, manufacturing surveys, construction spending, and durable goods data, the US economy is about to get the slowdown scapegoat it so desperately needs: according to Weather.com, following a brief overnight respite from cold temperatures, entering the first full week of January, both the Midwest and the East will see a plunge to the coldest temperatures of the season. This blast of cold temperatures will be different than the Arctic chill that ended 2014, which was mainly confined to the northern tier. This time the frigid air will push farther south and east.

As Weather.com forecasts, two rounds of Arctic cold will move through much of the U.S. this week. The first blast moves in behind Winter Storm Frona and begins in the Plains on Sunday and into the Midwest on Monday. High temperatures will be up to 25 degrees below average and will not reach above the freezing mark as far south as Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle.

The second round will be even colder and will push farther south and east. A ridge of high pressure will build in the West with a deep trough in eastern Canada which will allow air from the Arctic to move southward across the eastern half of the U.S.

As a result, high temperatures are expected to be up to 35 degrees below average in parts of the Midwest by midweek. Chicago may see a subzero high temperature on Wednesday. The last time the mercury did not reach zero was on January 6 of last year. Chicago may also set a daily record cold high temperature on Wednesday (current record is 3 degrees set just last year) and a record low temperature on Thursday morning (current record is 10 degrees below zero).

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