Long lasting intense Cold for New England

[ForestHillWx]

Coldest I've experienced was -20 at the north end of Loon Lake, Chestertown, NY a few years back. Got some good runs in at Gore the following day; remember a younger kid with no face gear, on had quite the white tipped nose... I wonder how he turned out?

 

I'm in NW New Jersey now, I have seen -single digits, (-4 is my lowest), I am hoping we get a taste of the cold you all will be having!

[tamarack]

3 minutes ago, mahk_webstah said:

The zone forecasts don't look to get below -10.  That is good because my peaches are lost at -15.  Do you think the forecast numbers are going to come down?

Reliance?  I planted one in  1998, 1st year here, and each winter would kill back most of it and then its vigor would leave it twice as tall.  Then winter 01-02 bottomed out at -12 and there was no dieback, just a load of blossoms that brought 100+ tennisball-size sweet fruit.  Winter 02-03 was different - 12 days in the -20s (-29 lowet) and wind, and the tree was dead above the graft.  Glad I got that one crop prior to being shown that peaches and my zone 4 frost pocket aren't compatible.

This cold period may be like 2004, which had good mixing that kept the lows from dropping out of sight but also made for breezy, bitter afternoons.  That contrasts with the 2009 record breaker, when I had lows of -36 and -34 but temps made it above zero both days with diurnal ranges 40°+, as it was flat calm throughout.

[mahk_webstah]

6 minutes ago, dendrite said:

I’m a little concerned with that high pressure after New Year’s.

 Yeah I was thinking in a long stretch like that with a foot and a half of snow on the ground we would get at least one night where we would radiate like hell and we hit 20 below. Let's hope not. You grow peaches? 

[dendrite]

Just now, mahk_webstah said:

 Yeah I was thinking in a long stretch like that with a foot and a half of snow on the ground we would get at least one night where we would radiate like hell and we hit 20 below. Let's hope not. You grow peaches? 

Yeah...I have a recovering peach tree that actually produced decent fruit last year. I’ve been snowblowing a path to the bird feeder and piling the snow up around the base, but it won’t do much for the buds. We’ll see.

[mahk_webstah]

3 minutes ago, tamarack said:

Reliance?  I planted one in  1998, 1st year here, and each winter would kill back most of it and then its vigor would leave it twice as tall.  Then winter 01-02 bottomed out at -12 and there was no dieback, just a load of blossoms that brought 100+ tennisball-size sweet fruit.  Winter 02-03 was different - 12 days in the -20s (-29 lowet) and wind, and the tree was dead above the graft.  Glad I got that one crop prior to being shown that peaches and my zone 4 frost pocket aren't compatible.

This cold period may be like 2004, which had good mixing that kept the lows from dropping out of sight but also made for breezy, bitter afternoons.  That contrasts with the 2009 record breaker, when I had lows of -36 and -34 but temps made it above zero both days with diurnal ranges 40°+, as it was flat calm throughout.

They are not reliance. I only have two trees and this is the third year so they're not that hardy yet. The growers around here, which is zone 4, lose their peaches about every other year. It sucks because they're so damn good. I am wondering if I can cover them with something on the worst nights.  They are only 8 ft tall

[tamarack]

2 minutes ago, ForestHillWx said:

Coldest I've experienced was -20 at the north end of Loon Lake, Chestertown, NY a few years back. Got some good runs in at Gore the following day; remember a younger kid with no face gear, on had quite the white tipped nose... I wonder how he turned out?

 

I'm in NW New Jersey now, I have seen -single digits, (-4 is my lowest), I am hoping we get a taste of the cold you all will be having!

I grew up about 25 miles NE from there (Kinnelon) and we touched -14 on 2/2/61, then had 24" on 3-4 atop the existing 20"+ pack.  Coldest afternoon maximum was 2° in Jan 1963, but the 4° on 12/31/62 was much worse, as it was accompanied by winds gusting near 70 (backside of central Maine's most powerful blizzard.)

[dendrite]

CON record low max of 14F on 12/28 will easily be broken. I can’t believe it’s that high after 150 or so years of record. The 12/27 record is 5F and 12/29 is the all-time record of -11F.

[wxeyeNH]

Speaking of peaches we planted a peach tree several years back  ( I don't remember what kind) but it's doing very well.  Loaded with big juicy sweet peaches.  I never think about it.  Now you guys have me worried.  Perhaps I will not get down to the real cold numbers cause I don't radiate well but perhaps the duration of the intense cold will do the tree in.  This will be a good test.

[wxeyeNH]

1 minute ago, dendrite said:

CON record low max of 14F on 12/28 will easily be broken. I can’t believe it’s that high after 150 or so years of record. The 12/27 record is 5F and 12/29 is the all-time record of -11F.

Wow, Concord had a maximum of -11F?   I remember a brutal short cold wave back in the 80's.  It was right at the end of December so maybe that was it?

[dendrite]

4 minutes ago, wxeyeNH said:

Wow, Concord had a maximum of -11F?   I remember a brutal short cold wave back in the 80's.  It was right at the end of December so maybe that was it?

Not even close. It was a well timed brutal shot in 1933. I think it came in at midnight around -11F, dipped to -21F, and then exited around -11F. Maybe you’re thinking of the early Jan cold shot in 1981 of -2F. They haven’t had a below 0F max since although 2004had back-to-back days of exactly 0F.

[HIPPYVALLEY]

27 minutes ago, dendrite said:

Yeah...I have a recovering peach tree that actually produced decent fruit last year. I’ve been snowblowing a path to the bird feeder and piling the snow up around the base, but it won’t do much for the buds. We’ll see.

 

5 minutes ago, wxeyeNH said:

Speaking of peaches we planted a peach tree several years back  ( I don't remember what kind) but it's doing very well.  Loaded with big juicy sweet peaches.  I never think about it.  Now you guys have me worried.  Perhaps I will not get down to the real cold numbers cause I don't radiate well but perhaps the duration of the intense cold will do the tree in.  This will be a good test.

I'll probably go out and spray my tree with water tomorrow afternoon to try and insulate the buds a little bit for the below zero nights. 

[HIPPYVALLEY]

I recall being up in Rangely, I think it was NYE 1985 and it hit -24F.   I believe in 2009 I hit -15F in Greenfield. 

[wxeyeNH]

3 minutes ago, dendrite said:

Not even close. It was a well timed brutal shot in 1933. I think it came in at midnight around -11F, dipped to -21F, and then exited around -11F. Maybe you’re thinking of the early Jan cold shot in 1981 of -2F. They haven’t had a below 0F max since although 2004had back-to-back days of exactly 0F.

Yup Brian.   It was 1981 cause I was living in Hopkinton Mass then.  Wow on that 1933 day.  I think my lowest daytime max is right around 0F.  Let's see if I can break that over this period coming up.

[Whineminster]

Tracking the release of the Arctic Hounds of Hell.  That thread was going when I first discovered this board. 

 

My coldest was I think -22 or something at Hancock Campground in the Whites, camping on NYE....not fun. 

[WxBlue]

This upcoming cold shot should break my personal low by as much as 10 degrees (currently set at zero).

Wind chill will be intense for me as I haven't been in anything below -10 using that factor. 

[Ginx snewx]

8 minutes ago, WxBlue said:

This upcoming cold shot should break my personal low by as much as 10 degrees (currently set at zero).

Wind chill will be intense for me as I haven't been in anything below -10 using that factor. 

Lol you picked a great year to come up, remember my post wishing you would get to see all of winters glory. Thinking your bucket list will be full already by jan 4th, awesome

[Ginx snewx]

it may be wrong but todays GEFS doesn't get you CNE NNErs above 32 for the next two weeks

[Damage In Tolland]

2 minutes ago, Ginx snewx said:

it may be wrong but todays GEFS doesn't get you CNE NNErs above 32 for the next two weeks

None of us may see 32 thru mid Jan

[WxBlue]

I checked the Euro for the wind chill. -30 sounds awful.

[WxBlue]

8 minutes ago, Ginx snewx said:

Lol you picked a great year to come up, remember my post wishing you would get to see all of winters glory. Thinking your bucket list will be full already by jan 4th, awesome

It has been a heck of an experience in one month alone! 

My first foot of snow depth? Check.

My first walk on frozen pond? Check.

My personal annual snowfall record? About to fall in less than 30 days.

My first subzero weather? About to check.

My first 2 feet snowstorm? Pending. 

[powderfreak]

1 hour ago, CoastalWx said:

I'd enjoy a taste for it. Just because I love extremes. Biggest sensible cold I have ever felt was up in the Whites in Jan 94. IIRC we radiated to like -30. Man stuff.

I've got photos of my car saying -26F here in town.  

Like we were discussing a week ago, MVL seems to have been moved to a slightly colder spot by the river drainage that moves through the airport field, and if it's getting an extra 1-2F (or it's just reading colder but BTV says it passes its checks), either way I think we could see some impressive readings from that site.

I mean it's already hit -16F this season with no air mass remotely close to what's coming.  Outside chance at -30F there and SLK/HIE/BML..especially with the core of 850/925 temps over NVT.

[ORH_wxman]

Been a long time since we had this type of sustained arctic cold in the month of December in New England...it's happened west of us several times in the past 15 years...for us, you prob have to go back to 1989. Years like 1995, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2013 all had their cold stretches in New England, but nothing like what is coming up. A lot of the time the real meat of the cold was centered out in the plains like 2013 and 2000 giving us only 1-2 day blows of very cold stuff or we just got moderate arctic airmasses (maybe put 2005, 2007 and 1995 into this category). But getting locked into the freezer for like a week straight of arctic tundra hasn't happened in December since 1989.

[mreaves]

9 minutes ago, ORH_wxman said:

Been a long time since we had this type of sustained arctic cold in the month of December in New England...it's happened west of us several times in the past 15 years...for us, you prob have to go back to 1989. Years like 1995, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2013 all had their cold stretches in New England, but nothing like what is coming up. A lot of the time the real meat of the cold was centered out in the plains like 2013 and 2000 giving us only 1-2 day blows of very cold stuff or we just got moderate arctic airmasses (maybe put 2005, 2007 and 1995 into this category). But getting locked into the freezer for like a week straight of arctic tundra hasn't happened in December since 1989.

Nooooooooo, plugging my ears and covering my eyes.  Want no part of the rubber band snap back!

[Lava Rock]

9 minutes ago, ORH_wxman said:

Been a long time since we had this type of sustained arctic cold in the month of December in New England...it's happened west of us several times in the past 15 years...for us, you prob have to go back to 1989. Years like 1995, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2013 all had their cold stretches in New England, but nothing like what is coming up. A lot of the time the real meat of the cold was centered out in the plains like 2013 and 2000 giving us only 1-2 day blows of very cold stuff or we just got moderate arctic airmasses (maybe put 2005, 2007 and 1995 into this category). But getting locked into the freezer for like a week straight of arctic tundra hasn't happened in December since 1989.

what scares me is what happens after the cold retreats. Do we remain normal, AN? And what about precip type. I just feel like mother nature is blowing her load on all the cold and recent snow and she'll turn around and pop some cutters and 50's.

[Lava Rock]

1 hour ago, tamarack said:

I grew up about 25 miles NE from there (Kinnelon) and we touched -14 on 2/2/61, then had 24" on 3-4 atop the existing 20"+ pack.  Coldest afternoon maximum was 2° in Jan 1963, but the 4° on 12/31/62 was much worse, as it was accompanied by winds gusting near 70 (backside of central Maine's most powerful blizzard.)

Doesn't Madison hold the record for coldest overnight low? I recall sometime in the 90's they got down to -40F something.

[ORH_wxman]

3 minutes ago, Lava Rock said:

what scares me is what happens after the cold retreats. Do we remain normal, AN? And what about precip type. I just feel like mother nature is blowing her load on all the cold and recent snow and she'll turn around and pop some cutters and 50's.

We don't typically go wire to wire in New England except maybe way up north in Allagash county...so I'd def expect some cutters at some point. Pattern probably relaxes in January for a time. The good news though is that the type of blocking we have seen thus far typically is a strong signal fr recurring blocking later in the winter. So it will probably come back. But who knows, sometimes a relaxed pattern produces SWFEs and redevelopers here while it is torching west and southwest...we can sometimes get away with it.

[wxeyeNH]

1 hour ago, WxBlue said:

It has been a heck of an experience in one month alone! 

My first foot of snow depth? Check.

My first walk on frozen pond? Check.

My personal annual snowfall record? About to fall in less than 30 days.

My first subzero weather? About to check.

My first 2 feet snowstorm? Pending. 

You should take a drive a couple hours north on one of the calm radiational cold nights upcoming.  Experience some -25F/-30F real temps,  or for fun on a windier day take the tram up to the top of Cannon Mtn and feel what real windchills feel like.  The other thing you will note is after the next couple of weeks when the temp finally makes it back up to 40F,  it will feel really amazingly warm.  Even 30F will feel comfortable!

[HoarfrostHubb]

5 minutes ago, wxeyeNH said:

You should take a drive a couple hours north on one of the calm radiational cold nights upcoming.  Experience some -25F/-30F real temps,  or for fun on a windier day take the tram up to the top of Cannon Mtn and feel what real windchills feel like.  The other thing you will note is after the next couple of weeks when the temp finally makes it back up to 40F,  it will feel really amazingly warm.  Even 30F will feel comfortable!

If there is no wind 20F can be bearable for a while.  

[powderfreak]

All I know is the landscape seems primed for it here.  Walking the dog and looking at the frozen river that winds behind home with solid snowpack...

It just feels like everything is ready to maximize this arctic shot.  Gonna get very cold down here in the valley bottom between the mountains at 750ft.

[moneypitmike]

Temp tickling back down.  Had spiked to 18.4*, down to 17.6* now.