COLORADO (KOAA) — According to the National Weather Service, 132 million people are under a winter related alert. 106 million people are included in a cold temperature alert.
The majority of the country is hunkering down for this incoming arctic blast. Colorado will be on the snowy side of things, but just one state away in Oklahoma conditions are much more icy.
This is due to freezing rain. If we take a column of air from our atmosphere you will notice that the temperatures fluctuate. Temperatures at 10,000 feet look at lot different than 20,000 feet. Sometimes the portion of air higher up can be warmer than the temperatures below.
When snow falls, it has to pass through this warmer column of air and will allow for melting. Right before this precipitation hits the ground temperatures fall below zero. This allows for an icy coat to form on surfaces.
In Colorado, we don't have that warm layer of air that would allow for icy conditions. Instead, we will have a full column of air that will have below freezing temperatures, and allow for snow.
____
Have a question or story idea you would like the First Alert 5 Weather team to consider? Email: weather@koaa.com
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.