Here’s why the arctic blast will miss California, where Christmas may be warmer than usual
While an enormous arctic blast and potential “bomb cyclone” weather system batter almost the entire continental United States with extremely cold temperatures over the next few days, up through and including Christmas, most of California will remain near normal, if not several degrees warmer than average, for this time of year.
The National Weather Service has issued numerous, dire warnings for an arctic blast expected to take hold starting Thursday and lasting through at least Sunday. The cold front will bring life-threatening conditions, including rapid temperature drops and snow squalls, to much of the eastern two-thirds of the U.S.
The NWS Cheyenne office, for example, said parts of Wyoming and Nebraska, could see wind chill plunge to an astonishing minus-60 degrees Thursday afternoon.
Temperatures in Sacramento might sound scorching in comparison. Highs near 60 degrees — above zero, not below — are forecast for Friday through Monday in California’s capital, the latest weather service forecasts show.
The vast majority of California is being kept warm by an upper-ridge high-pressure system, according to bulletins from the weather service’s Sacramento and Los Angeles offices. Los Angeles is forecast to approach 80 degrees on Christmas.
The extreme cold front has descended from the Arctic, according to the weather service, and will travel in a southeasterly pattern across the U.S.
The Continental Divide is also shielding California as the cold air is funneled east of the divide.
A separate, unsettled storm system is en route for Northern California in the coming days, but it is expected to be weak, bringing scattered showers. Trace amounts of rain in the Sacramento Valley, along with 1 to 2 inches of Sierra Nevada snow, may fall by midday Friday, according to the weather service.
Do bomb cyclones affect California?
The extreme cold snap affecting most of the rest of the country this week could include a bomb cyclone system – a sudden drop in atmospheric pressure that can create strong winds and heavy precipitation.
Though this week’s bomb cyclone will miss California, similar systems originating farther west have brought extreme weather to the Golden State in the past, including last year.
In October 2021, a bomb cyclone resulted in downtown Sacramento setting an all-time record with more than 5 inches of rain in 24 hours.
This story was originally published December 23, 2022 at 8:26 AM.
