Strong high pressure slumping south through the lower states with impressive digging jet stream allows for the rapid intensification of a surface cyclone east of the Rockies along the strong thermal gradient.
— Scott Duncan (@ScottDuncanWX) December 21, 2022
An ideal mechanism for pushing the deep cold all the way south. pic.twitter.com/2sQNHqJpXJ
Some weather geeks pointed out that atmospheric pressures were reaching record highs. Here the high pressures hit the top of the color legend:
https://climatereanalyzer.org/wx/todays-weather/input/gfs_nh-sat1_mslp_d1.png