Prepare yourself — the polar vortex is coming.
Every single state in the United States will reach below freezing temperatures in the coming week as the coldest air of the season will hit the country.
- Yes, that includes Hawaii.
- Per CNN, 86% of the country will see below-freezing temperatures.
The Midwest will see a freeze over the weekend with temperatures reaching 25 degrees below zero, according to CNN. The South will see low temperatures, too. For example, Atlanta will see temperatures 15 degrees below normal. The Northeast and the Great Lakes will also see low temperatures throughout the week.
Why is this happening?
According to CNN, a polar vortex will hit the United States. As I wrote about for the Deseret News, the “polar vortex” is an experience where low pressure and cold air floods down from the North Pole and descends upon the United States and sweeps eastward.
- The National Weather Service defines a “polar vortex” as a counter-clockwise flow of cold air from the North Pole, saying it is “only recently been popularized, bringing attention to a weather feature that has always been present.”
The ‘polar vortex’ isn’t real
That said, KSL meteorologist Kevin Eubank told me in February 2019 that “polar vortex” is a made-up term that meteorologists laugh about, but makes for a good headline.
Utah, he said, will see the type of weather associated with the “polar vortex,” he said.
- “If you’re asking if a cold storm can come to Utah, if it has origins of the cold air at the pole, or, in essence, the Arctic — yes. We get polar air or arctic air to Utah all the time,” he said.