Dozens of US states will endure the lowest temperatures they have felt in years as a polar vortex brings ‘life-threatening’ cold next week
The National Weather Service (NWS) said that much of the Lower 48 should brace for ‘the coldest air-mass of the season to date’ from Friday to January 24.
Meteorologists predict temperatures could plunge up to 45 degrees below average, engulfing at least 20 states across the Plains, the Great Lakes and the interior Northeast in below-zero temperatures.
States in the polar vortex path include Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, the Dakotas, Montana and Wyoming.
Parts of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Utah and Idaho could also experience below-zero temperatures.
Washington DC is set to see highs only in the 20s, moving President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration indoors. The first time this has happened in 40 years.
Wind gusts of up to 30 miles per hour will blast through the layers of the hundreds of thousands of MAGA enthusiasts expected to fill the national mall Monday.
‘This poses a great risk of hypothermia and frostbite to exposed skin. Have a cold weather survival kit if traveling,’ the NWS warned.
Dozens of US states will endure the lowest temperatures they have felt in years next week as a polar vortex brings ‘life-threatening’ cold. The polar vortex is bringing freezing air from Siberia into the US
The Rockies, northern Plains, and Upper Midwest should see minimum wind chills of -30 F or colder Saturday into Tuesday
The temperatures will also likely freeze and burst pipes and significantly strain power grids as people scramble to heat their homes.
Snow and slippery roads are also set to hit the mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Sunday, with a wintery mix potentially in the Deep South early next week.
All states in the Lower 48, and more than 80 percent of its residents, will see below-freezing temperatures.
‘This would be one of the coldest outbreaks certainly of the past 10 years, 15 years,’ said winter weather expert Judah Cohen of Atmospheric Environmental Research. ‘It’s pulling air out of Siberia.
‘And, you know, that’s consistent with these stretches because when the polar vortex stretches, the flow starts in Siberia and ends in the US.’
The Rockies, northern Plains, and Upper Midwest should see minimum wind chills of -30 F or colder Saturday into Tuesday, according to the NWS.
Even states along the Gulf Coast and the southern border will see temperatures drop 10 to 30 F below average. Only South Florida will be spared from the bitter cold.
‘So, if you’re a snowbird, you like to escape down to the South – there’s no escaping this. Everyone will feel it,’ FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said.
At least 300mn Americans are in the path of the polar vortex. Pictured: A frozen over portion of New Jersey
People who plan to spend extended periods of time outdoors this weekend should watch for signs of hypothermia and frostbite. Pictured is a storm that hit Washington DC earlier this month. But the nation’s capital will see freezing temperatures this week
All told, more than 300 million Americans will experience below-average temperatures by Monday, FOX reported.
But with the wind chill, some parts of the country could experience feels-like temperatures as low as -50 F by Monday morning.
Cities that are not accustomed to such low temperatures should prepare for the life-threatening impact of this cold, Merwin said.
For example, temperatures in Asheville, North Carolina could sink into the low-to-mid-teens from Monday to Thursday next week.
On Monday morning, Atlanta, Georgia may also experience temperatures in the teens.
People in parts of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee will be particularly vulnerable, as many remain without proper homes after the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
People spending extended periods of time outdoors this weekend should watch for signs of hypothermia, which include shivering, slurred speech, slow and shallow breathing, a weak pulse, clumsiness, confusion and loss of consciousness.
In infants, look out for bright red, cold skin and very low energy.
No one should venture outside with exposed skin, as this severe cold could lead to frostbite in as little as 15 minutes.
No one should venture outside with exposed skin, as this severe cold could lead to frostbite in as little as 15 minutes. Pictured is Bryant Park in New York City during another Arctic blast earlier in the month. NYC officials are already preparing for this weekend’s frigid temps
This blast of frigid temperatures will be delivered by the polar vortex, a large area of low pressure and cold air that swirls counterclockwise around the North Pole
Even northern cities are preparing chilly weather.
In New York City, emergency official declared a ‘Code Blue’ on Thursday.
This type of warning is issued when the temperature or wind chill is expected to drop to 32 F overnight.
‘Outreach teams will canvass all five boroughs to connect our most vulnerable New Yorkers to shelters,’ NYC Emergency Management stated in a post on X.
This blast of frigid temperatures will be delivered by the polar vortex, a large area of low pressure and cold air that swirls counterclockwise around the North Pole.
Typically, its swirling keeps it close to the North Pole, but often during winter, the polar vortex will expand further south and cause outbreaks of cold temperatures.
This particular outbreak will be one of the most far-reaching of this season so far, NWS meteorologist Zack Taylor told NPR.
It doesn’t look like temperatures will warm up any time soon, as meteorologists expect the overall weather pattern to remain favorable for more arctic outbreaks through the end of January.
