Michigan Facing an Arctic Blast, Unusually Heavy Snowfall

After much of November being warmer than expected across the U.S., that trend has taken a drastic turn, and even some weather forecasters and experts are surprised by it. An arctic blast is coming down through the Midwest, Northeast and into the South, bringing very below normal temperatures to much of the country, including Michigan. Now, Michigan is bracing for unusually heavy snow and an arctic blast for much of early December. So, put on your fuzzy, cozy clothing and get ready for a cold weather blast.

Looking at Michigan, according to the weather experts at Weather.com, all week is expected to see below-normal temperatures and snow throughout much of the area. For much of lower Michigan in the middle of the state through the Detroit area, the snow is expected to start coming down heavily Wednesday late afternoon and evening, December 4, and temperatures will help that snowfall stick, because temperatures are expected to be in the 20s and, at the highest, low 30s. The western part of the state has already been doused with heavy snowfall, and with the low temperatures, that will stay.

This cold trend is apparent for much of the country, so everyone is going to have to bundle up. "Many areas across the northern tier will start the month of December with temperatures well below historical averages," Paul Pastelok, lead long-range expert for AccuWeather, said in a feature about the cold weather.

The Southeast, Midwest and Northeast are especially getting hit, with AccuWeather's Alex Sosnowski stating, "Freezing temperatures will lunge deep into the Southeast, and the frigid air will be wind-driven and penetrating in the Midwest and Northeast."

So, what's an arctic blast? "Typically, 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," Scientific American explains. "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." They add that this cold air can bring snow and ice and it's bitterly cold.

According to 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)."