Dangerous Heat Wave To Set Record Highs

Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.

A​n outbreak of arctic cold is sweeping through the Midwest and East, as well as into the Deep South and this frigid pattern is expected to last into the third week of January.

W​here the cold is now: The surge of colder air has spread into the Plains, Midwest, Northeast and South behind Winter Storm Blair which departed the East Coast Monday night.

Weather in your inbox

Forecast Location

Sign Up

By signing up you agree to the Terms & Privacy Policy. Unsubscribe at any time.

Y​ou can see that in the current temperature map shown below.

(​CURRENT MAPS: Temperatures | Wind Chills)

H​ow cold will it get in the South: T​his latest cold surge will push lows into the teens in Oklahoma and 20s to low 30s into much of Texas this week.

In the Southeast, 20s for lows will be widespread into northern Florida, with teens possible in Kentucky, Tennessee and the Appalachians. Central Florida may shiver in the upper 30s or low 40s, while upper 40s or low 50s lows may reach into South Florida.

Strong wind gusts could lead to uncomfortable wind chills throughout the South.

(​MAPS: 10-Day U.S. Forecast Highs/Lows)

H​ow frigid will the northern tier become: Typical of January, we expect some subzero lows in the usual frigid parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota.

C​oupled with fresh snow cover from Winter Storm Blair, we also expect some lows to flirt with 0 degrees as far south as the Central Plains, mid-Mississippi Valley and Ohio Valley.

I​n much of the Midwest, highs in the 20s or 30s may be the warmest seen for several days this week. As alluded to earlier, strong winds could send wind chills plunging into levels that may trigger frostbite on exposed skin in 30 minutes or less.

While uncomfortably cold, we aren't expecting this cold snap to threaten many daily record lows for this time of year.

That's because the bar for setting records in this core winter month is very high. For example, daily record lows in International Falls, Minnesota, the "Icebox of the Nation", range from the upper 30s to middle 50s below zero.

(​MORE: The Most Extreme US Cold Outbreaks)

H​ow long will this cold last: According to NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, this colder pattern could last into the third full week of January, especially in the Southeast.

M​ORE ON WEATHER.COM:

-​ 5 Weather Wishes We Hope Come True In 2025

-​ Weather.com's Best Photos Of 2024

-​ 10 Strangest Things We Saw In 2024's Weather

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.​