January–February 2019 North American cold wave
In late January 2019, a severe cold wave caused by a weakened jet stream around the Arctic polar vortex[5] hit the Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada, killing at least 22 people.
[9] In mid-March, the cold wave finally retreated, but combined with above-average temperatures, precipitation, and a deep snowpack, widespread flooding ensued in the Central US.
Normally, the Northern Hemisphere jet stream travels fast enough to keep the concentration of Arctic air known as the "polar vortex" stationary in the stratosphere over the North Pole.
From late December to early January, a sudden stratospheric warming event was observed over the Arctic, which caused the "polar vortex" to weaken and split into three lobes.
On February 5, Edmonton recorded a temperature of −32.3 °C (−26.1 °F) and a wind chill of −37 °C (−35 °F),[16] as a result of the "polar vortex" making its way west.
Warming centres were set up in Windsor and Chatham-Kent libraries for homeless people and anyone else affected by the cold.
[53] The Fête des neiges winter festival was cancelled due to the extreme cold for the first time in a decade.
[54] Among those killed by the cold was Hélène Rowley Hotte, the 93-year-old mother of Gilles Duceppe, a former federal opposition leader.
[62] In Downtown Los Angeles, the temperature never reached 70 °F (21 °C) the entire month of February, the first ever occurrence in 142 years of record-keeping.
[63] On February 22, snow was reported in the lower elevations West Hollywood, Eagle Rock and Pasadena within the urban areas of Los Angeles.
[64] Across the state, the persistent cold and heavy rains were beneficial in eliminating drought conditions in California for the first time since 2011.
[66] Nearby Washington Dulles International Airport reached an air temperature of −2 °F (−19 °C),[66] the coldest reading since another cold spell in February 2015.
[67] In the Chicago area, temperatures plummeted as low as −23 °F (−31 °C) at O'Hare International Airport on January 30, with a windchill of −52 °F (−47 °C).
University of Iowa student Gerald Belz died after being found unresponsive near Halsey Hall.
[79][80] Two brothers in Boone County, Obie (72) and Roy Fugate (67), died in their driveway outside of their home due to the cold after their truck was stuck in the mud.
[81] On January 28, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency due to the record low windchill temperatures.
[82] Three people died due to the extremely low temperatures in Michigan: one in Detroit, another in Ecorse, and a third in East Lansing.
[87] Whitmer and Consumers Energy asked residents to turn down their thermostats to 65 °F (18 °C) until midnight ET on February 1, after a fire at the compressor station in Macomb County on January 30 due to extra gas usage during the cold wave, to avoid "heat interruptions".
[11] On January 29, at 10:30 p.m., about 150 homes in the Princeton area, about an hour north of Minneapolis, lost natural gas service.
As a result, Xcel Energy resorted to asking over 400,000 customers to turn their thermostats down to 63 °F (17 °C) to conserve natural gas through Thursday.
[103] In Williamsville (near Buffalo), a locally well-known homeless man, Lawrence "Larry" Bierl, was found frozen to death in a bus shelter on the morning of January 31.
[107][108] Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on February 4 that the United States Department of Justice would be investigating the outage.
[98] A snowstorm on February 3–4 brought 0.5 to 4 inches (1.3 to 10.2 cm) of snow to parts of Western Washington, including the Puget Sound region, after a winter without measurable snowfall.
It was caused by cold air arriving from the north alongside a low-pressure system, dropping temperatures to the 30s and 40s.
The snowstorm caused minor disruptions, including school releases and flight cancellations at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.
[110] Daytime temperatures continued to drop throughout the week, reaching as low as 19 °F (−7 °C) and causing black ice to form on roads.
[111] A second snowstorm struck the Seattle area and Western Washington on February 8, bringing 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 cm) of snow that triggered a state of emergency from Governor Jay Inslee.
[115] On January 28, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared a state of emergency due to the record low windchill temperatures.
