KALAMAZOO (WKZO AM/FM) — The cold continues and it’s not going away and we can only be glad that as chilly as it may be here, it’s even colder just to the west where some parts of the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin have gone to 20-below and they have been below zero for days.
Some 30-million americans are in the deep freeze this week.
Forecasters are saying that it’s going to be cold and snowy for the rest of the year, given that’s only a few days away, but some long range meteorologists say it may not end until March.
Meteorologist Gary Best says much of the upper Midwest will sink to 15 to 30 below at night and remain below zero during the day, and he expects it to continue through the New Year Holiday, and then it may get even colder.
The only thing keeping west Michigan a little warmer is the lake effect, as all the heat absorbed by Lake Michigan during the summer is moderating the weather we get, throwing in the occasion snow storm just for giggles.
But road conditions will continue to be icy until it warms up.
MDOT’s Nick Schrippa says plowing alone can only do so much. These extremely cold temperatures mean that any road salts or chemicals that road crews may lay down are completely ineffective at melting the snow.
He says road salts stop working at about 20 degrees.
He says only heavy traffic warms things up enough for the plow trucks to have some impact with their plows.
