Snowy pattern gives way to dangerous cold this weekend
By Jared Shelton
This week is proving to be a turning point for Central Plains weather, as Old Man Winter sweeps across the northern half of the U.S. with a vengeance.
Snow has been the biggest indicator of change across Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas, with a winter storm blanketing the landscape with four to six inches of snow Monday night and into Tuesday. The early week hit of accumulating snowfall was made possible by a potent low-pressure system, which tracked roughly along the Interstate 70 corridor, spreading lots of moisture onto a column of subfreezing air across northern Missouri. Another hit of snow is adding to the blanket of white, as the polar jet stream allows yet another low-pressure system to take a similar track.
Like it or not, the widespread snowpack is here to stay as a blast of arctic air takes aim at the Great Plains and Midwest this weekend, bringing dangerously cold temperatures to millions. This means high temperatures in the single digits and lows below zero for several consecutive days extending through early next week. The cold spell is expected to bottom out on Sunday when high temperatures will struggle to make it above zero if they do at all.
Missouri is no stranger to cold air outbreaks, especially across the northern tier of the state where arctic air masses cut across the plains directly from Canada. Despite dealing with bouts of extreme cold at least once or twice per winter, Missourians still succumb to its effects every year. The Missouri Department Of Health and Senior Services began a surveillance plan to document cold-related deaths due to hypothermia during the winter of 1979-1980. Since then, 631 people have died due to hypothermia across the state.
Unsurprisingly, cold weather deaths are not only a Missouri problem. According to the National Weather Service, excessive cold is actually one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths across the United States.
While not always deadly, frostbite is another formidable danger of the bitter cold, when temperatures drop low enough to literally freeze human tissue. Subzero temperatures or wind chills between -15 and -30 degrees can result in frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. This weekend’s local wind chill factors will fall well within this range for several hours at a time over the next three to four days.
The best way to steer clear of cold-related illness is to avoid exposure by staying in a heated space. If you must spend time outdoors this weekend, dressing in layers and covering exposed skin will be a must.
