ROANOKE, Va. – Just 36 hours after walking around in t-shirts, we woke up to record cold in many locations. Temperatures in Roanoke, Lynchburg and Blacksburg (just to name a few spots) started out in the teens Wednesday morning.
As of 7 a.m., that was enough to break record lows in. Danville has come close, with temperatures bottoming out at 22°.
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When comparing our morning temperatures to that in Anchorage, Alaska, we are significantly colder.
At first thought, that may be shocking to you. And you’re right. It’s not everyday we can say that. However, when we get these blasts of cold air, the opposite is usually taking place in parts of Alaska.
Weather operates on a trough-ridge system.
A trough is a dip in the jet stream, which usually brings precipitation followed by colder air. A ridge refers to a rise in the jet stream, which typically promotes drier and warmer weather.
In Alaska, they have been under a little bit of a ridge. This means that their weather in Anchorage, at least Wednesday morning, has been a little warmer than average.
Then, you have much of the central and eastern U.S.
We’re under a deep trough, which has helped drag Arctic air down south. Many of us have been dealing with record cold and snow in the past 36-48 hours because of this.
Next time we have a cold blast like this, check out our temperatures compared to Anchorage. You may very well find that we’re colder than they are!
It happens more than you might think.