Tuesday, January 07, 2014

A 50-State Sweep

Now this is one for the books.  All 50-American States - Hawaii, Florida and California included - recorded below freezing temperatures today.

Hawaii, California and Florida, states that normally bask in their reputation as warm winter escapes, experienced record low temperatures. In the midwest, northeast and eastern Canada, it was dangerous to venture outside.

The so-called polar vortex that funnelled an Arctic low pressure system into the upper US this week swung south and east on Tuesday. Polar conditions settled over two-thirds of the US.

It was colder in the southern state of Georgia than Alaska as Atlanta plunged to -14C (6F) – the lowest temperature since 1966 – while Anchorage, Alaska, recorded -3C (27F).

It was so cold in Kentucky on Monday that an escaped prisoner turned himself in. Robert Vick, 42, escaped from a minimum-security prison on Sunday, the Associated Press reported, but as temperatures dropped through the floor on Monday he walked into a motel and asked the clerk to call the police so he could escape the freezing air.

1 comment:

kootcoot said...

The fact that it froze in Hawaii and California is meaningless as both states have mountains of great height and ski resorts. California actually has glaciers, though they are shrinking just like the one out my kitchen window. If you tell me that each state had freezing temps at low elevation locations that would be more meaningful. Not that I am a denier.