Arctic cold comes to North America

Icy fog in North Dakota, freezing rain in the Appalachians, heavy snowfall in New England and storms in the Texas Panhandle region – the weather in North America has already been very challenging over the past few days. A strong high pressure system will put an end to this low pressure dominance at the weekend and at the same time provide new challenges. On its way from Canada to the USA, the high pressure system will bring extremely cold air masses with it – temperatures less than -40 degrees Celsius are possible.

The cold will reach its peak in southwestern Canada on Thursday and Friday. Over the course of the weekend, the cold air will then spill over the US border. Temperatures below -30 degrees Celsius are possible from Montana and North Dakota to Nebraska. Next week, the cold air could move further east and weaken significantly.

The lube in many wind turbines only allows an operating temperature of -25 to -30 degrees Celsius. At temperatures of -30 to -40 degrees Celsius, even the power production of PV modules may be limited. At the same time, heaters ensure a very high electricity demand. When ice and cold reduce the feed-in on windy days by several gigawatts, good power forecasts, which precisely take into account icing and shutdowns due to low temperatures, are essential for a stable power grid.

energy und meteo systems analyzed the weather situation at an early stage and prepared its customers for its impact on power production with the help of a wide range of advance information.