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A Polar Vortex Is About to Freeze the US: ‘There’s No Escaping This’

“Everyone will feel it.”

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(Photo by Tom Lynn / Getty Images)

If you live in the U.S., brace yourself—we’re about to get slammed with a polar vortex. 

You might be wondering: What even is a polar vortex? According to the National Weather Service (NWS), it’s basically “a large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding both of the Earth’s poles.” While it’s always near the poles, it strengthens during the winter. The “vortex” is what usually keeps it confined to the region. 

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However, “Many times during winter in the northern hemisphere, the polar vortex will expand, sending cold air southward with the jet stream,” the NWS continued. “This occurs fairly regularly during wintertime and is often associated with large outbreaks of Arctic air in the United States.”

The FOX Forecast Center reported some portions of the U.S. will experience temperatures plummeting as much as 45 degrees below average next week—with at least 20 states likely to experience negative temps. For example, Minneapolis has a forecasted high of negative 2 degrees Fahrenheit on Sunday.

No, thank you.

The NWS Weather Prediction Center shared the anticipated effects of this polar vortex, including bitter cold temps, dangerous wind chills, and snow squalls.

“These are the types of weather systems that even bring cold air to Florida,” said FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin. “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,” she continued. “Everyone will feel it.”