Record cold and very warm Atlantic SSTs may lead to a major snowstorm this week. “Explosive cyclogenesis” refers to a rapidly deepening extratropical cyclonic low-pressure area. The less scientific names for this rare phenomenon are:
The next snowstorm to brush the eastern U.S. will hit on Thursday and bring record cold. Most noteworthy, this could be an historic event in terms of establishing the lowest barometric pressure ever observed and recorded. Some areas around Boston, including Cape Cod and even eastern Maine, could see 1 to 2 feet of snow. However, the ultimate problem will be the extreme cold with sub-zero wind chills all along the east coast. Therefore, on Thursday, near hurricane force winds could hammer the entire region from Long Island to Cape Cod.
For more information about “Bombogenesis” please go here.
U.S. wheat crop suffering from drought and cold:
In addition to the drought expanding, record cold temperatures probably damaged some U.S. wheat. Therefore, extremely cold weather in the Plains, combined with worsening drought, will likely begin to adversely affect the wheat crop.
Yet, we expect moisture in the Plains by mid January. When spring arrives, if widespread moisture has not occurred across the U.S. grain belt, wheat prices could stage a major rally.