What to know about the incoming Polar Vortex

Don’t miss 2024 record-warm autumn you’re getting into a feeling of fall sweater weather – winter is upon us, as an impending polar vortex is set to haunt the northern parts of the United States.

According to the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center, the northwestern United States will experience “heavy coastal rain and higher elevation snow,” while the central and eastern United States will experience flurries of cold air from the Arctic. States bordering the Great Lakes will get “anywhere between 6-12 inches of snow,” while areas downwind of the lakes could get more. (An AccuWeather forecaster said parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York will get up to two feet, or 61 centimeters, of snow.) You can see a map of the weather forecast here; the NWS short forecast bulletin is valid until Saturday, January 4.

Rain and snow will expand into the Northwest by Friday, according to the NWS, and a high pressure system over the Great Plains will send frigid air across the central and eastern United States on Monday. If you are curious about a specific location, the NWS has a practical tool which allows you to click anywhere in the country and get a short-range forecast and a write-up of the weather outlook in that area.

According to AccuWeatherareas south of those receiving snow — from the Plains to the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys — could face substantial amounts of ice that could cause downed trees and power outages. ‘Tis the season for it; On January 9, 2024, a massive winter storm rolled across the east of the United States, dumping rain and snow in all the affected states and also spawning tornadoes. The same preparedness information goes for this storm as with most inclement weather events: Don’t travel in dangerous conditions unless you have to, and make sure you have enough supplies at home to cover a few days

The frigid front is a reminder that the polar vortex is not something that only stays in the Arctic; as climate change occurs, the polar vortex may take on a wave pattern. A report published last month in Environmental Research: Climate investigated the trend. In essence, don’t expect global warming to always cause the temperature to rise. Changing weather patterns can disrupt the polar vortex, moving warmer air north and pushing colder air further south.

“It seems really counterintuitive, but there will be a lot of ice, snow and frigid air in the Arctic winter for decades to come, and that cold may be moving south into heavily populated regions from Arctic heat waves,” Jennifer said. Francis, a co. -author of the paper at the Woodwell Climate Research Center, in a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration liberation.

However, the upcoming winter storm is aberrant from the general forecasts of the National Weather Service for the first quarter of 2025. In a report published in late December, the service predicted that after a cold start to the new year, temperature trends suggest warmer-than-normal conditions through March in the southern and eastern United States ( below average temperatures are expected for the northwestern United States). – average precipitation numbers are expected for the northwestern United States and the Great Lakes region, while below-average precipitation is expected in much of the South.

Just say bundle up and stay safe if you’re on the road! We’re almost two weeks into winter and the season is turning into an icy blast for millions of Americans.