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Extreme Cold Forecast in U.S. Over Next 2-3 Weeks
By Bernard Woodall
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States east of the Rocky Mountains will see extreme cold in the next two to three weeks with at least one forecaster calling it the coldest in 25 years, meteorologists said on Tuesday.
"In the next six to 10 days, it will be colder than normal north of a line from Washington, D.C., to Denver," said Joe Bastardi of AccuWeather. "In the next 15 to 20 days, everybody is extremely cold.
"In the worst-case scenario, in much of the energy- consuming areas of the country, from the Rockies to New England, you can look at the coldest 10- to 20-day periods since the winters of 1977 and 1978," Bastardi said.
Crude oil and heating oil prices were up partly on colder forecasts than last Friday when the markets were last open, oil industry analysts said on Tuesday. Heating oil futures hit $1.0250 a gallon, up 4.5 percent, with crude oil hitting a high of $36.37 a barrel, up 3.7 percent. That was the highest price since March 17, days before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Natural gas futures hit a high of $6.32 per million British thermal units, up 6.2 percent, with the link to weather more clear, energy traders and analysts said.
Bastardi points out that he correctly predicted several weeks ago that New England would experience its lowest temperatures since 1994 or 1996, and that proved correct.
Not all forecasters agree, including some meteorologists who work with Bastardi at AccuWeather in State College, Pennsylvania.
Another viewpoint comes from forecaster World Weather Inc., who said the eastern United States will be cooler in the first week of February, but that extreme cold is not very likely, according to a Gulf Coast energy trader.
Chris Hyde, meteorologist with EarthSat forecasters, also said the next two to three weeks will be colder than normal, but he did not say whether temperatures will be as low as 1977 or 1978.
"The more notable change versus last week's forecast is across the Midwest," Hyde said. "The Boston-to-Washington, D.C., corridor will continue to hang tough with the chilly readings with little volatility."
The National Weather Service is predicting that Friday, the Midwest and Northeast will have temperatures 8 degrees Fahrenheit to 12 degrees F below normal, with Jan. 27 still showing below-normal temperatures for northern New England and with temperatures near normal for New York City.
Forecaster Meteorlogix said the five-day outlook for the Northeast shows up to 12 degrees F below normal by Wednesday and up to 15 degrees F below normal by Saturday. In the same time period, the Midwest will be up to 10 degrees F below normal on Wednesday and up to 4 degrees F below normal on Saturday.
The six- to 10-day forecast shows "below normal" temperatures for the Northeast and northern part of the Midwest, Meteorlogix said on Tuesday.
Here is a capsule of EarthSat's temperature forecasts:
Six to 10 days:
New England: Much below normal (same forecast as last Friday)
Mid Atlantic: Below normal (same forecast as last Friday)
Midwest: Much below (versus below normal last Friday)
Ohio Valley: Normal (same)
Oklahoma/Texas: Seasonal to above normal (same)
11- to 15-Day Forecast:
Northeast: Much below normal in northern New England, below normal elsewhere (same)
Mid Atlantic: Below normal (same, but bigger area considered below normal)
Midwest: Below normal (versus normal last Friday)
Oklahoma/Texas: Seasonal to above normal (warmer than last Friday)
By Bernard Woodall
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States east of the Rocky Mountains will see extreme cold in the next two to three weeks with at least one forecaster calling it the coldest in 25 years, meteorologists said on Tuesday.
"In the next six to 10 days, it will be colder than normal north of a line from Washington, D.C., to Denver," said Joe Bastardi of AccuWeather. "In the next 15 to 20 days, everybody is extremely cold.
"In the worst-case scenario, in much of the energy- consuming areas of the country, from the Rockies to New England, you can look at the coldest 10- to 20-day periods since the winters of 1977 and 1978," Bastardi said.
Crude oil and heating oil prices were up partly on colder forecasts than last Friday when the markets were last open, oil industry analysts said on Tuesday. Heating oil futures hit $1.0250 a gallon, up 4.5 percent, with crude oil hitting a high of $36.37 a barrel, up 3.7 percent. That was the highest price since March 17, days before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Natural gas futures hit a high of $6.32 per million British thermal units, up 6.2 percent, with the link to weather more clear, energy traders and analysts said.
Bastardi points out that he correctly predicted several weeks ago that New England would experience its lowest temperatures since 1994 or 1996, and that proved correct.
Not all forecasters agree, including some meteorologists who work with Bastardi at AccuWeather in State College, Pennsylvania.
Another viewpoint comes from forecaster World Weather Inc., who said the eastern United States will be cooler in the first week of February, but that extreme cold is not very likely, according to a Gulf Coast energy trader.
Chris Hyde, meteorologist with EarthSat forecasters, also said the next two to three weeks will be colder than normal, but he did not say whether temperatures will be as low as 1977 or 1978.
"The more notable change versus last week's forecast is across the Midwest," Hyde said. "The Boston-to-Washington, D.C., corridor will continue to hang tough with the chilly readings with little volatility."
The National Weather Service is predicting that Friday, the Midwest and Northeast will have temperatures 8 degrees Fahrenheit to 12 degrees F below normal, with Jan. 27 still showing below-normal temperatures for northern New England and with temperatures near normal for New York City.
Forecaster Meteorlogix said the five-day outlook for the Northeast shows up to 12 degrees F below normal by Wednesday and up to 15 degrees F below normal by Saturday. In the same time period, the Midwest will be up to 10 degrees F below normal on Wednesday and up to 4 degrees F below normal on Saturday.
The six- to 10-day forecast shows "below normal" temperatures for the Northeast and northern part of the Midwest, Meteorlogix said on Tuesday.
Here is a capsule of EarthSat's temperature forecasts:
Six to 10 days:
New England: Much below normal (same forecast as last Friday)
Mid Atlantic: Below normal (same forecast as last Friday)
Midwest: Much below (versus below normal last Friday)
Ohio Valley: Normal (same)
Oklahoma/Texas: Seasonal to above normal (same)
11- to 15-Day Forecast:
Northeast: Much below normal in northern New England, below normal elsewhere (same)
Mid Atlantic: Below normal (same, but bigger area considered below normal)
Midwest: Below normal (versus normal last Friday)
Oklahoma/Texas: Seasonal to above normal (warmer than last Friday)
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