The vast majority of the US will see subfreezing temperatures this week, as the latest in a series of winter storms sweeps across the country.
The weather pattern marks the 10th polar vortex to dip down into the contiguous 48 states this winter season, compared to the two to three seen during an average winter. The phenomenon occurs when the polar vortex weakens and destabilizes the polar jet stream, becoming wavy and stretching down into the US (see visualization). Researchers are unsure why it has occurred so frequently this season.
Thermometers are expected to drop below minus 10 degrees in the Dakotas and Upper Midwest, and below or near zero in areas ranging from Kansas to Maine. Regions as far south as Atlanta and Austin, Texas, could reach into the teens. By Wednesday, multiple inches of snow and ice are on track to blanket the Mid-Atlantic. See forecasts here.
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