Georgia Bracing for Significant Temperature Swings
For those who don’t like cold winters, the past few weeks in Georgia have been tough. While much of November was above normal when it came to temperatures throughout the U.S., early December has been a different story. It’s been brutally cold and actually colder than normal for this time of year. That’s quite a break from the weather pattern we’ve been seeing for most of this year in Georgia and throughout the U.S. Now, after a cold spell with arctic temperatures, the area is experiencing a warmup.
Georgia Temperature
After lows all the way down into the 20s in some areas of Georgia the start of the month, the area is experiencing a warmup. According to the experts a Weather.com, temperatures will be in the 60s for much of the state on Monday and Tuesday, followed by a cool down again into the 30s, and then followed by another warm up. What’s wild is that on Monday, lows were only around 60, but later in the week, lows will be back into the 30s, so we’re talking a 30-degree difference.
So, why have the past few weeks been so brutally cold? The area has been experiencing part of an arctic blast, which much of the country has also been experiencing. An arctic blast is when “very cold air in the Arctic is trapped inside a high-altitude swirl of winds called the polar vortex, which is surrounded by a lower-altitude band called the polar jet stream,” according to the experts at Scientific American. “If the polar vortex gets disrupted, however, the jet stream can become wavy and carry frigid air much farther south than usual in an Arctic blast.” So, when that happens, the arctic blast often bring snow, ice and extra cold temperatures. According to the crew at First Coast News, an arctic blast, which they say was “coined by the media,” means “a rapid southward push of cold air from the poles, extending beyond its usual reach. The phenomenon is linked to the current phase of the polar vortex or Arctic low within the Arctic Oscillation (AO).”
By the way, if you find yourself traveling to an area with a lot of snow this holiday season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration U.S. Department of Commerce says to delay travel, if possible, until the storm passes. They also suggest enabling wireless emergency alerts on your phone, driving defensively and remaining calm.
