On January 2, an Arctic cold front initially associated with a nor'easter tracked across Canada and the United States, resulting in heavy snowfall in some areas.

[9] Beginning on January 2, 2014, sudden stratospheric warming (SSW)[dubious – discuss] led to the breakdown of the semi-permanent feature across the Arctic known as the polar vortex.

With extensive snow-cover across Canada and Siberia, Arctic air had no trouble remaining extremely cold as it was forced southward into the United States.

[30] Heavy snowfall or rainfall occurred on the leading edge of the weather pattern, which travelled all the way from the American Plains and Canadian prairie provinces to the East Coast.

[33] Freezing rain caused a Delta Air Lines flight to skid off a taxiway and into a snowbank at John F. Kennedy International Airport, with no injuries.

[citation needed] Nearly all parts of Canada under the deep freeze experienced steady winds around 30 to 40 kilometres per hour (19 to 25 mph).

"The bad weather in much of the U.S. in early 2014 was a significant drag on the economy, disrupting production, construction, and shipments, and deterring home and auto sales", wrote PNC Senior Economist Gus Faucher in a note out prior to the release.

[citation needed] Gold said some industries benefitted from the storm and cold, including video on demand, restaurants which offered delivery services and convenience stores.

[51] Hopper Research of Boston observed that searches for flights to Cancun, Mexico increased by about half in northern cities.

[52] New England spot natural gas prices hit record levels from January 1 to February 18, with the day-ahead wholesale (spot) natural gas price at the Algonquin Citygate hub serving Boston averaging US$22.53 per million British thermal units ($76.9/MWh), a record high for these dates since the Intercontinental Exchange data series began in 2001.

[56] At O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, the jet fuel and deicing fluids froze,[9] according to American Airlines spokesman Matt Miller.

[57] Amtrak cancelled scheduled passenger rail service having connections through Chicago, due to heavy snows or extreme cold.

[58] Three Amtrak trains were stranded overnight on January 6, approximately 80 miles (130 km) west of Chicago, near Mendota, Illinois, due to ice and snowdrifts on the tracks.

[63] The Weather Channel reported power outages in several states, abandoned cars on highways in North Carolina, and freezing rain in Louisiana.

"[68] This has been widely repudiated based on scientific studies of underbark temperature tolerances of emerald ash borer in Canada.

[77] In Indiana, more than fifty of the state's ninety-two counties, including virtually everywhere north of Indianapolis, closed all roads to all traffic except emergency vehicles.

[80] On March 4, 2014, the United States House of Representatives passed the Home Heating Emergency Assistance Through Transportation Act of 2014 (H.R.

[81] The bill, if it becomes law, would create an emergency exception to existing Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations.

[82] The exceptions would allow truckers to drive for long hours if they are delivering home heating fuels, such as propane, to places where there is a shortage.

"[81] Rep. Shuster argued in favor of the bill saying that it "will provide relief for millions of Americans suffering from the current propane and home heating fuel emergency".

[83] According to the Congressman, an "exceptionally cold winter" increased demand on propane, "which is used for heating approximately 12 million homes in the United States".

[83] Schools in much of Southern Ontario and rural Manitoba were closed on both January 6 and 7 because of the combined threat of extreme cold, strong winds, and heavy snowfall.

[citation needed] Research on a possible connection between individual extreme weather events and long-term anthropogenic climate change is a new topic of scientific debate.

[95] A stationary high pressure ridge over the North Pacific Ocean kept California unusually warm and dry for the time of year, worsening ongoing drought conditions there.

[citation needed] In the New York Metropolitan Area, record lows were broken or tied in Islip, Bridgeport and John F. Kennedy International Airport.

[113] Caribou and Bangor, Maine, Barre and Montpelier, Glens Falls, New York, Dulles Airport, Gaylord, and Houghton Lake, Michigan experienced their coldest March on record in 2014.

In addition, March was the second-coldest on record for Concord, New Hampshire, Flint and International Falls, Minnesota, and Watertown, New York and Marquette, Michigan both saw their third-coldest.

[117] Despite the abnormally cold winter over sections of North America and much of Russia, most of the globe saw either average or above-average temperatures during the first four months of 2014.

[118] In fact, during the cold wave, North America saw much colder temperatures than Sochi, Russia which during the time was hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics.

[1] On April 10, 2014, a ridge of high pressure moved into the Eastern United States, bringing average and above-average temperatures to the region, which ended the cold wave.