A huge rush of Arctic air is expected to move across Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and the Carolinas immediately after New Year’s, bringing the coldest temperatures of the season to most of the Southeast, Midwest, and Gulf Coast. Forecast models continue to increase confidence that a broad freeze will extend unusually far south.
A Sharp Pattern Shift After Unseasonable Warmth
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Meteorologists believe the upcoming pattern shift will feel more drastic following weeks of above-average temperatures in the South and East. Temperatures are forecast to drop swiftly behind a strong cold front, with teens and 20s emerging in the Midwest and Ohio Valley, and upper 20s to low 30s moving into the Deep South.
According to some estimates, freeze conditions will stretch all the way to the Gulf Coast, including sections of southern Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida’s Panhandle.
Coldest Air Targets Key Southern States
The latest temperature-anomaly visuals show a big pool of substantially cooler air settling over:
- Georgia
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- South Carolina and North Carolina
- Tennessee and Arkansas
- Louisiana
- Eastern Texas
- Kentucky and the Ohio Valley
This Arctic air mass is projected to stay for several days, indicating the biggest winter push yet this season.
Freeze Potential Extends Far South
Because the oncoming cold is both thick and expansive, meteorologists warn that the Southeast may experience its most widespread freeze of the season, with hard-freeze temperatures expected in inland areas. Coastal areas from the Carolinas to the Gulf may face devastating cold that affects vegetation, pipelines, and sensitive infrastructure.
Early indications show that the peak of the cold outbreak will occur between January 2 and January 5, however the exact timetable may change as fresh data arrives.