Cold weather: Why it’s here, and how long it’s going to stay

Like a friendly neighbor, hundreds of icicles have made themselves at home on the top of Bent Mountain.  It is a sign of how cold it has been, and how cold it is going to get.

Nearby, creeks have started freezing over as arctic air slowly rolls into Roanoke.

In fact, people across the country are bundling up—even in Florida where people are getting a little taste of old man winter.

Meterologists say the jet stream is to blame.

“The jet stream extends up into central and northern portions of Canada,” WSLS Meteorologist Patrick McKee said.  “There’s a lot of snow up there, and that keeps the air cold.  It’s been kind of bottling up for a while.  Now that the jet stream is finally making a dip, it’s allowing all that air to just drop southward, and that’s why we’re seeing extreme cold this time around.“

Not everyone is dreading the drop.  Ray Etter with Urban Forestry says when people are cold, business is good.

“We’re selling wood just about as fast as we can split it and load it,“ Etter said.

Meterologists say the next week or so looks cold as well.

“When we get stuck in this pattern like this, nothing moves, and it’s not uncommon for us to see cold weather for two maybe three weeks at a time,“ McKee said.

Click here for a look at the 7-day forecast.