Nationwide temperatures dropped as much as 20 degrees in just a few hours between December 22nd and 24th of 2022. While it was not the coldest North Carolina Christmas on record, it was memorable. The coldest Christmas on record was in 1983, when the average temperature across the U.S. was 20 degrees. An arctic blast caused these intense and quick drops in temperature: cold arctic air from the jet stream slipped down to middle latitudes, resulting in extreme temperatures.
Last year’s arctic blast affected everywhere east of the Rockies, spreading cold weather throughout the east coast and as far south as Florida. In North Carolina, the low temperatures and wind chills hit well below freezing. It got as cold as -25 degrees on Christmas Eve in Western North Carolina. The governor even called a state of emergency in several counties because of the cold and icy conditions. Earlier in the week, some places experienced winds up to 60 miles per hour.
Fluctuating hot and cold weather can be traced back to wind patterns surrounding the North Pole. The polar jet stream is a system of air that rotates around the polar vortex over the Arctic Region. When the polar vortex is unstable, cold bodies of air can move down from the jet stream and affect North America, Asia, and Europe. While this year’s front hit North America surprisingly early, we usually don’t see it until late January to early February.
The difference in temperature between middle latitudes and the polar vortex controls the jet stream. However, the arctic is heating much faster than these lower latitudes, causing the jet stream to be much more unstable. Instead of moving in a relatively direct route around the globe, the lowered difference in temperature allows the jet stream to vary much more, bringing cold air to warmer climates. While the polar jet stream does not always affect lower latitudes, it can be the root of extreme weather.
Over the past 30 years, the polar vortex has been steadily declining, resulting in more extreme weather. This past Christmas, the United States saw some of this severe winter weather. Along with subzero temperatures and icy conditions, December 2022 came with a host of other issues.
The arctic blast led to flight cancellations, interrupting holiday travel for many families during some of the year’s busiest travel days. The winter storm hindered around ⅔ of the flights nationwide on the days leading up until Christmas. Those forced to stay home because of the weather found themselves with another disruption: they were without power.
The cold temperatures stressed the electrical grid, causing more than 1.6 million people to be without electricity on Christmas Eve. Duke Energy utilized rolling blackouts for the first time in its history to relieve some of the stress on the power grid. There was supposed to be an automated system that would cut power in some areas for 15-30 minutes. Unfortunately, the automated system failed, and the rolling blackouts had to be controlled manually by Duke Energy workers, resulting in a much larger margin of error.
Hundreds of thousands of customers were impacted by the blackouts, and there was little to no warning before the company cut power. Some customers were without electricity and heat for up to 12 hours on Christmas Eve. When the power did come back on, Duke Energy advised customers to reduce energy use by turning lights off, avoiding using the washer, dryer, or dishwasher, and lowering thermostats.
Thankfully, most North Carolinians had electricity restored by Christmas morning, and most flights nationwide resumed. Despite the dramatic onset of the arctic blast, most families could enjoy the holidays in the warmth of their homes, and the winter weather resolved as quickly as it started.