Polar vortex to blast US with life-threatening cold next week: 'There’s no escaping this'
The FOX Forecast Center said temperatures will plummet as much as 45 degrees below average in spots, leading to below-zero temperatures across at least 20 states, from the Plains to the Great Lakes and interior Northeast.
Polar vortex to bring life-threatening cold to majority of US next week
Preparations are underway in many communities across the U.S. in advance of a bitter blast of frigid arctic air that is going to send temperatures tumbling next week, which could become life-threatening. FOX Weather meteorologists Stephen Morgan and Jane Minar break it all down.
Most of the U.S. will enjoy milder temperatures on Thursday, but the warmup will be brief as a polar vortex will send temperatures tumbling below freezing for most of the nation starting this weekend.
Despite a cold start across parts of the eastern U.S. on Thursday, most of the country will experience milder temperatures with forecast highs as much as 20 degrees above average. Enjoy it while it lasts, however, because it’s about to get brutally cold.
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Minneapolis has a forecast high temperature of about 34 degrees on Thursday. On Sunday, the forecast high temperature is a frigid 3 degrees below zero.
"Perfect time to hop on a plane and go somewhere south," FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin said. "Like, really, really far south."
The potentially life-threatening cold is due to a disrupted polar vortex. The FOX Forecast Center said a lobe of the polar vortex will dip to the south and move into the U.S. this weekend and into next week.
"These are the types of weather systems that even bring cold air to Florida," Merwin said. "You know, there’s only maybe one or two times a year where we get a chunk of arctic air that really invades the country and gets all the way down to the Gulf Coast. This is one of those. So, if you’re a snowbird, you like to escape down to the South – there’s no escaping this. Everyone will feel it."
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In fact, more than 300 million Americans will experience below-average temperatures by Monday.
The FOX Forecast Center said temperatures will plummet as much as 45 degrees below average in spots, leading to below-zero temperatures across at least 20 states, from the Plains to the Great Lakes and interior Northeast.
All the Lower 48 states and more than 80% of the population will see temperatures drop below freezing. The deep chill will be felt as far as the Deep South, with only South Florida escaping the icy grip of the arctic blast.
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The FOX Forecast Center said that while some moderation in temperatures may occur during the middle of next week, the overall pattern is expected to remain favorable for more brutally cold air outbreaks in the Lower 48 states close to the end of January.
Monthly temperatures are already running 5-10 degrees below average, and the FOX Forecast Center said this will all but ensure many locations in the eastern U.S. will see their coldest January in years.
Frigid temperatures could be life-threatening
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Cities that aren’t really accustomed to the cold, like Atlanta, will be feeling the chill.
On Monday morning, Atlanta could see temperatures drop into the teens, and that has people on alert for the incoming onslaught of brutally cold temperatures.
"That is cold enough that you do need to prepare," Merwin said.
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That is especially true for those who live in parts of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, who are still in recovery mode after Hurricane Helene devastated the region and left countless people without homes.
"Looking at the wind chill, that adds a whole other layer to this," Merwin said. "I mean, it will feel like negative 50 degrees in some spots across America come Monday morning."
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Preparations for the cold weather are already underway in New York City. According to New York City Emergency Management, a Cold Weather Alert has been issued and the New York City Department of Public Health declared a Cold Blue.
"Outreach teams will canvass all five boroughs to connect our most vulnerable New Yorkers to shelters," NYCEM said on X. "No one who is homeless and seeking shelter in New York City during a Code Blue will be denied."