“Multiple surges of frigid air sweep across eastern North America during January–February 2014, as shown in this visualization from NCAR’s Computational & Information Systems Laboratory. The maps depict surface air temperatures, which are measured at a height of 2 meters (about 6 feet) above ground level. The flow of cold air into the eastern United States was facilitated by the upper-level “polar vortex”, not shown, which shifted from its usual location near the Arctic into lower latitudes of eastern North America several times during the winter of 2013–14. These hour-by-hour images are based on data generated by the NOAA Climate Forecast System. The model was updated with observed data every six hours.”
Dataset source: NOAA/NWS/NCEP/EMC, Climate Forecast System, Version 2 (CFSv2)
Visualization: Tim Scheitlin, NCAR/CISL
Special thanks: Bob Dattore, NCAR/CIS
