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A nor’easter will be ushered in this weekend courtesy of a week polar vortex which will bring record cold temperatures to the eastern half of the nation over the weekend.
“Over 100 million Americans will drop below freezing over the next few days,” CNN reports.
The cold air moves in on Friday and will continue through Saturday. With the exception of 9 states in the West, the remaining contiguous 37 US states will reach their coolest temperatures on Saturday, with temperatures well below average in portions of the upper Midwest, Mid-South, Ohio Valley, mid-Atlantic and Northeast, poised to set records for this point in May.
Frost and freeze warnings are already being issued in many areas of the upper Midwest and Northeast.
On Friday, snow is forecast to begin falling over the Great Lakes region, particularly northern Michigan, as well as by the evening and overnight into the central Appalachians and into parts of the Northeast.
According to predictions by the Weather Prediction Center, snowfall accumulation could range between 6 to 12 inches in parts of New England.
The National Weather Service is forecasting significant snowfall over interior New England on Saturday, as well as portions of northern Michigan. Snowfall is also possible over portions of the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana, and Wyoming.
A polar vortex is a circulation of strong, upper-level winds, moving in a west to east direction via a polar low-pressure system that normally surrounds the North Pole.
Most of the time, these winds restrain the bitter cold air and keep it contained in the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. But on occasions, such as will occur over this weekend, this vortex can dip much farther south.
The polar vortex is weakening and that is the factor that is allowing the Arctic air to spill out and come our way.
While the rest of the country will be experiencing an unseasonable chill, nine states in the West will experience above-average temperatures over the weekend in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and portions of Colorado.
If you live in Southern California or in the Southwest, you may want to seek out the best deodorant because it’s going to be hot, hot, HOT!
