It’s Colder in Topeka Tonight Than Bitter Bismarck
The forecast high in Chicago today is 26 degrees. The average high is 31. While temperatures remain below freezing today across much of the Upper Midwest, it’s still not the bitter cold they were experiencing earlier in December. But the cold, Canadian air is plunging south once again.
Tonight's Forecast Lows, Image: NOAA
Cold dry air from the arctic is sliding south along with a cold front. The high today in Topeka, Kansas is expected to be in the 30s, the lows?, below zero. In comparison, Bismarck’s overnight low will be 3 degrees. It will be warmer in Bismarck tonight than Topeka!
Another interesting advisory for the Dakotas today? Western North Dakota is under a freezing fog advisory. We’ve talked about fog in the past. When a thick fog develops, it will produce a light rain or mist. If it’s really cold, like it is in Crosby, North Dakota today, this light mist can freeze on contact with the ground or an surface it touches. It’s not going to be a thick coating of ice if you compare it to the thick ice that develops during an ice storm. However, it can cause slick and dangerous roads for drivers.
-Dawn Brown
Artic Air Follows Storm…
- Computer Model Temperature Chart, Image: Unisys Weather
A massive storm system that has dumped snow from California to New York and created severe weather across the South is now pulling an artic air mass toward the Central Plains. Looking at the computer model image above, places like Bismarck, North Dakota can expect highs in the “single” digits and minus-7 degree overnight lows. The frigid airmass is stretching as far south as Amarillo, Texas. Here’s a link to an Associated Press article on the impacts of this storm as it moved across the country this week.