Map shows coldest polar vortex this winter threatening up to 58,000,000 people

National Weather Service Map shows 'coldest polar vortex this season' sweeping across US
A National Weather Service map shows what is forecast to be the coldest polar vortex in the US this winter (Picture: National Weather Service)

The tenth and coldest polar vortex of the season is blasting across the US this week.

More than 58million Americans are under National Weather Service cold warnings from the US-Canada border to as far south as Texas.

The Arctic air is forecast to cause temperatures to dip 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit below average for this time in the winter, according to FOX Weather.

Worst hit will be the north-central region, with windchills expected to drop as low as minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit in areas of the Dakotas, Minnesota and Montana. Frostbite could occur within five to 30 minutes under such conditions.

Map shows 'coldest polar vortex this season' sweeping across US Potential snowfall this week across the US. FOX Weather
A map shows snowfall projections in the US this week (Picture: FOX Weather)
This photo provided by the Washington State Department of Transportation vehicles piled up on a snowy Interstate 5 highway in Southwestern Wash., Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (Washington State Department of Transportation via AP)
Vehicles piled up on a snowy Interstate 5 highway in southwestern Washington (Picture: AP)
14404945 At least 10 die in killer storms including mom and 7 year old trapped in a car as maps show polar vortex will grip Rockies and northern Plains with temperatures set to plunge to -42.7C
Map shows polar vortex will grip Rockies and northern Plains with temperatures set to plunge to -42.7 degrees Celsius (Picture: NOAA/National Weather Service)

On Tuesday, the 48 contiguous US states are expected to experience an average low of 16.6 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 8.6 Celsius) and a fall to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 Celsius) by Wednesday, according to Ryan Maue, a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief scientist.

‘Everything, all the stars align, all the wind directions in the atmosphere are dragging the cold polar air out of the Canadian Arctic,’ said Maue.

‘It’s the depths of winter. Everything signals extreme biting, winter cold. Obviously this isn’t the first polar vortex episode of the winter, but it looks to be the most severe.’

Every state except California, Florida and Hawaii has a high chance of windchills of 20 degrees Fahrenheit or below next week, per the National Weather Service.

14404945 At least 10 die in killer storms including mom and 7 year old trapped in a car as maps show polar vortex will grip Rockies and northern Plains with temperatures set to plunge to -42.7C
Map show wind chill temperatures in the US (Picture: NOAA/National Weather Service)
A person walks through the snow Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
A person walks through the snow on Friday in Nashville, Tennessee (Picture: AP)
A car drives in the Tahoe-Donner neighborhood after an overnight winter storm in Truckee, Calif., Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A car drives in the Tahoe-Donner neighborhood after an overnight winter storm in Truckee, California (Picture: AP)

A polar vortex of Arctic air extends from the top of the world south typically two or three times per winter, according to Atmospheric and Environmental Research seasonal forecast director Judah Cohen.

This polar vortex, which could even impact Europe, isn’t expected to just come and go. A deep freeze could extend through the end of February in the US.

A nor’easter storm from Ohio Valley to the mid-Atlantic and possibly reaching Maryland and Delaware could bring up to a foot of snow. It appears to spare New York City.

This season has been the coldest in recent memory, with places that usually experience mild winters like New Orleans receiving record snowfall.Meanwhile, Southern California last month was charred by what were among the most destructive wildfires in its history.

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