A blanket of fog covers Lake Michigan along the Chicago shoreline Monday, Jan. 6, 2014 as temperatures dove well below zero and wind chills were expected to reach 40 to 50 below. A polar vortex is hitting the U.S. Teresa Crawford/AP
Important Takeaways:
- Meteorologists are raising alarms over worsening polar vortex conditions that could bring extreme cold and widespread disruptions.
- So far, this winter has seen one of the warmest Decembers on record in much of the northern United States. Though many residents experienced snow around the holidays, snow coverage was still at or near 20-year lows.
- However, the polar vortex could bring severe weather conditions, including heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures that could affect travel conditions or prompt school closures.
- Jim Cantore, also a meteorologist, said on X: “Prolonged period of COLD coming across the eastern USA that will only be made worse with whatever snowpack decides to accompany each shot. The Polar Vortex parks itself over eastern Canada for the first couple weeks of 2025 and allows these cold shots to slide southeast and dominate the weather east of the Rockies. The coldest is perhaps around the Jan 9/10th. It’s been a while since we’ve seen this kind of prolonged cold.”
- Meteorologist Mark Margavage said on X: “Woah… now that’s C-O-L-D! Is the South ready for a visit from the Polar Vortex? like I said the other day… PREPARE! This goes for everyone, but particularly if you live in an area that is not used to seeing brutally cold air, put together a winter weather survival kit and keep it in your car… Include things like warm winter clothes, a warm blanket, hand warmers, back-up batteries for your cell phones.”
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