Christmas Day Setting Up to be Bitterly Cold for Eastern Half of Nation

Posted: December 22, 2022 11:25 am

Some cities across the U.S. may see the coldest Christmas in decades thanks to a blast of Arctic air that has spread over the country and not budged. The weather across the eastern half of the U.S. may be eerily similar to Santa’s North Pole on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Here is a look at what you can expect.

Arctic Air Invasion Delivering a Cold Christmas

Records may fall as the mercury continues its downward trajectory into the weekend. Christmas Day of 1983 carries the distinction of being the coldest December 25th in nearly four decades. However, forecasters are warning that 2022 may rival some of those readings.

A steady stream of Arctic air made nearly the entirety of December bitterly cold in 1983. The last blast of Arctic air for that month hung around for 10 days, starting in the northern Plains and eventually spreading to the east and the south.

For instance, Sioux Falls, South Dakota hit zero degrees at the beginning of the cold air invasion on December 16 and only got colder over the next 10 days. The temperature plunged to 14 degrees below zero in the days leading up to Christmas before the mercury slowly started to inch up.

What made the cold air worse were the strong winds that put the real feel temperature in life-threatening territory. Winds that whipped up over 30 mph brought the wind chill to a dangerous 82 degrees below zero.

This frigid air marched to the east by Christmas Day with the coldest readings spreading into the Midwest and through the Appalachians by the holiday. Almost 78% of the country saw readings that fell below the freezing mark by the holiday.

For instance, Chicago recorded a reading of 5 degrees below zero on Christmas Day, hitting a new record low for that day in history for the city. This reading is also far below normal for this time of the year in the Windy City.

The good news for Chicago is that Christmas Day 2022 is not expected to approach this level of cold. However, it will still be significantly colder than normal with a high of just 13 degrees forecast for December 25.

Chicago will not be the only city in this part of the Midwest dealing with unseasonably cold temperatures over the holiday weekend. Indianapolis is predicted to reach a high of about 15 degrees on Christmas Day, a departure of nearly 25 degrees from normal for this day in history. Like much of the rest of the U.S., the record for this day also happened in 1983 when the mercury plummeted to 4 degrees below zero.

New York City also saw record-breaking temperatures in 1983 with a reading of 13 degrees. This is a dramatic departure from the average reading of 42 degrees for the day. The forecast for 2022 is coming in at about 29 degrees.

Exceptionally Chilly Down South

Unlike many years, the southern tier of the country will not escape the wrath of the Arctic air invasion. States as far south as Florida will also be under the gun for temperatures far below normal. The Sunshine State will see the coldest air of the season so far, putting a damper on the plans of vacationers hoping to escape the cold and head to the beach this year. The northern tier of the state will see readings that hover around 40 degrees with warmer temperatures in store for South Florida.

Atlanta residents will also be feeling the chill this Christmas. Temperatures are predicted to hover in the low 30s for a high on Sunday, translating to over 20 degrees below average for Christmas Day. The record temperature for this day is zero degrees, also set in 1983.

What will also be unique about this particular blast of cold air is that the temperatures will drop quickly. Forecasters are warning that the mercury may plunge as much as 30 degrees in just a few hours in isolated areas, potentially catching many people off guard.

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