Polar vortex set to envelop a lot of US in freezing temperatures

By Hannah Lang and Brendan O’Brien

(Reuters) – A blast of Arctic air is about to cowl a lot of the US with temperatures under freezing beginning on Friday and into subsequent week, impacting thousands and thousands of Individuals in almost the entire contiguous states.

Temperatures will attain under 10 levels Fahrenheit (-12 C) within the Northern Plains and Higher Midwest, into the kids within the central Plains and Midwest and close to 30 levels in elements of the South on Saturday, earlier than the entrance strikes into the East Coast and the Southeast on Monday, the Nationwide Climate Service mentioned.

Individuals dwelling as far south because the Southern Plains can anticipate to see sub-zero wind chills starting Sunday evening, mentioned Zack Taylor, meteorologist with the Nationwide Climate Service’s Climate Prediction Heart.

“That can truly linger for a number of days for a lot of the southern U.S., Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic and the Northeast as we get into early to mid-next week,” he mentioned.

The coldest climate of the season to this point will likely be resulting from a phenomenon referred to as a polar vortex, an upper-level jet stream that usually circulates round each the North and South Poles, however can push chilly winds down into the U.S. and Canada when it weakens and expands.

The bitter chilly temperatures will convey “life-threatening” dangers of hypothermia and frostbite, the NWS warned.

President-elect Donald Trump mentioned on Friday his inauguration will likely be held indoors on Monday due to extreme chilly. Temperatures are forecast to be solely as excessive as 23 levels on Monday in Washington, D.C., with wind chill set to make it really feel even cooler.

States from Virginia up into New England might see heavy snow together with frigid temperatures, with Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York Metropolis and Boston probably receiving a number of inches of snow.

Southern states might additionally get snow and ice from a separate storm beginning Monday evening throughout parts of Texas that will unfold as far south because the Gulf Coast, mentioned Taylor.

“That is one thing that we’re protecting an in depth eye on, given the sensitivities of these not accustomed to winter climate and never used to these type of conditions,” he mentioned.