Cold Cold Cold

More on the historical perspective of this cold wave from the NWS in Huntsville…

NOUS44 KHUN 111905 CCA
PNSHUN
ALZ001>010-016-TNZ076-096-097-121900-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT…CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HUNTSVILLE AL
1259 PM CST MON JAN 11 2010

…COLDEST FIRST TEN DAYS OF JANUARY ON RECORD…

A PATTERN THAT BROUGHT REPEATED INTRUSIONS OF ARCTIC AIR INTO
MUCH OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES AND THE SOUTHEAST SINCE THE
START OF THE NEW YEAR…HAS BROUGHT SOME OF THE COLDEST AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES ON RECORD TO SOME AREA LOCATIONS. FOR THE FIRST TEN
DAYS OF JANUARY 2010…THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AT HUNTSVILLE
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT HAS BEEN 24.8 DEGREES. THIS IS THE COLDEST
START TO A NEW YEAR ON RECORD…AND THE COLDEST SINCE 1942 WHEN
THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE FIRST TEN DAYS WAS 26.1 DEGREES.
THE SITUATION IS THE SAME AT MUSCLE SHOALS…WHERE THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE SINCE JANUARY 1ST HAS BEEN 24.6 DEGREES. THIS IS ALSO
THE COLDEST SINCE JANUARY 1942 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS
24.8 DEGREES FOR THE FIRST TEN DAYS OF JANUARY. BELOW ARE A COUPLE
OF TABLES SHOWING THE TOP TEN COLDEST FIRST TEN DAYS OF JANUARY
ON RECORD FOR HUNTSVILLE AND THE SHOALS…

HUNTSVILLE
RANK…YEAR…AVG TEMPERATURE
1ST….2010…24.8
2ND….1942…26.1
3RD….1970…26.4
4TH….1940…27.0
5TH….1988…29.3
6TH….1919…29.6
7TH….1928…29.9
7TH….1912…29.9 (TIED)
9TH….1979…30.1
10TH…1969…30.7

MUSCLE SHOALS
RANK…YEAR…AVG TEMPERATURE
1ST….2010…24.6
2ND….1942…24.8
3RD….1940…26.9
4TH….1970…27.5
5TH….1912…27.6
6TH….1928…27.8
7TH….1988…28.9
7TH….1979…28.9 (TIED)
7TH….1977…28.9 (TIED)
10TH…1919…30.1
10TH…1918…30.1 (TIED)

HOWEVER…THIS HAS NOT BEEN THE COLDEST TEN DAYS ON RECORD FOR JUST
ANY TEN DAY PERIOD. AT HUNTSVILLE…THE COLDEST SUCH STRETCH BELONGS
TO JANUARY 19TH TO 28TH 1940…WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS A
VERY COLD 14.9 DEGREES. AT THE SHOALS…THE COLDEST TEN DAY PERIOD
ON RECORD WAS FEBRUARY 6TH TO 15TH 1899…WHEN THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE WAS 15.1 DEGREES.

THE REASON FOR THIS CURRENT COLD OUTBREAK LIKELY BELONGS TO A
COUPLE OF FACTORS. FIRST…THE JET STREAM HAS TAKEN AN UNUSUALLY
AMPLIFIED PATTERN FOR THE START OF THE MONTH. IN THE EASTERN
PACIFIC…A HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGE BROUGHT WARM AIR INTO PORTIONS OF
WESTERN NORTH AMERICA WHILE ALLOWING COLD ARCTIC AIR TO MOVE INTO
CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE UNITED STATES. MEANWHILE…AN
UNUSUALLY STRONG BLOCKING PATTERN DOWNSTREAM IN THE ATLANTIC AND
THE CANADIAN MARITIMES MAINTAINED THIS PATTERN OF COLD ACROSS THE
EASTERN UNITED SATES. SECOND…A LARGER THAN NORMAL SNOWPACK
ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE MIDWEST…PLAINS…AND OHIO VALLEY REGION
HAS ALLOWED THE ARCTIC AIR TO MOVE INTO THE TENNESSEE VALLEY
WITHOUT MUCH GROUND MODIFICATION. THESE FACTORS COMBINED HAVE
LARGELY BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SHORT TERM COLD SPELL.

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