Key points
- US to face extremely chilly temperatures in the coming days
- Polar vertex to bring below-freezing temperatures to many states
- Sub-zero wind chills are forecast to reach the Southern Plains and Ohio
ISLAMABAD: Winds as well as snow are likely to disrupt traffic, lead to flight cancellations, and cause headaches for people traveling to different areas.
According to Fast Company, a polar vortex of extremely cold air, that normally circles the Arctic, will be spilling southward, starting this weekend and into next week. It will bring below-freezing temperatures to many parts of the country.
Around 120 million people could face chilling conditions. Some 50 million Americans in 30 states could face temperatures below minus-10 degrees Fahrenheit.
Arctic blast
“The arctic blast is due to first hit the Rockies and Great Plains Friday, reaching the Deep South and Great Lakes Saturday night, and the Eastern Seaboard by Sunday night, producing the coldest air of the season thus far,” the National Weather Service (NWS) posted on its website midday Friday.
Starting Saturday into Tuesday, the Rockies, Northern Plains, and Upper Midwest could have minimum wind chills of 30 to 50 below zero.
Sub-zero wind chills are also forecast to reach the Southern Plains and Ohio Valley on Sunday night into Wednesday. Moreover, hazardous cold weather is likely along the Gulf Coast and Southeast through much of next week, per the statistics of NWS.
Hypothermia and frostbite
Extreme cold winds and falling temperatures could make pipes freeze and burst, possibly affecting the power grid, and increasing the risk of hypothermia and frostbite, according to the Washington Post.
“Nearly 80 million Americans will be below zero degrees by next Tuesday when extremely cold Canadian/Siberian Arctic air descends on the Lower 48,” meteorologist Ryan Maue posted on X. “The nationwide average low temperature will be only 6°F.”
Nearly 80 million Americans will be below 0°F by next Tuesday when extremely cold Canadian / Siberian Arctic air descends on the Lower 48.
The nationwide average low temperature will be only 6°F pic.twitter.com/1tK8M7ijex
— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) January 15, 2025
Meteorologists at AccuWeather said on Sunday, that a snowstorm is expected to be headed to the Northeast, hitting Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., “dump[ing] enough snow to shovel and plow in areas from West Virginia to Maine.”
