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850mb Temperatures during the 2004 Cold Wave
- The cold outbreaks of 2004 occurred despite the absence of a major
upper-air ridge over western North America. Rather, a pool of extremely cold air developed over central Canada during
December 2004. As shown ON-LINE, temperatures at 850 mb fell below –40° F on many occasions during January.
This shallow mass of cold air was so dense that it was able to drain southward underneath an upper-air flow that was primarily
west-to-east, a dramatic illustration of the effect of density on airflow.
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