Extreme Cold Warning: What is a Polar Vortex and Why is it Dangerous? Will this affect India? | Mint

Americans are preparing for dangerously cold temperatures on Thursday, with forecasts predicting life-threatening conditions and the coldest Inauguration Day in 40 years. The Arctic “polar vortex” is expected to bring overnight lows to minus 23 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 31 degrees Celsius) in some of the northernmost parts of the United States this weekend.

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A blast of Arctic air will cover much of the United States, bringing freezing temperatures starting Friday and into next week. This will impact millions of Americans in nearly all contiguous states.

What is the polar vortex?

A polar vortex is a large, low-pressure cold air system that typically forms near the Earth's poles. During winter it can expand and shift, pushing cold air from the polar regions to lower latitudes, often affecting North America, Europe and Asia. When the polar vortex weakens or shifts, it can lead to extreme cold spells, sometimes resulting in dangerously low temperatures, high winds and significant snowfall in areas far from the poles. This phenomenon is responsible for the “Arctic blasts” that bring life-threatening cold conditions.

As reported by Reuters, According to the National Weather Service, temperatures on Saturday will fall below 10 degrees Fahrenheit (-12 C) in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest, into the teens in the Central Plains and Midwest and near 30 degrees in parts of the South on Saturday, before the front moves to the East Coast and Southeast on Monday.

What happens during the polar vortex?

The bitterly cold temperatures will bring “life-threatening” risks of hypothermia and frostbite, the NWS warned.

Americans living as far south as the Southern Plains can expect subzero wind chills starting Sunday evening, said Zack Taylor, meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center.

“That will actually continue for several days for much of the southern U.S., the Ohio Valley, the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast as we get moving early to mid next week,” he said, as reported by Reuters.

The coldest weather of the season so far will be caused by a phenomenon called a polar vortex. A polar vortex is a higher-level jet stream that typically circulates around both the North and South Poles, but can push cold winds toward the U.S. and Canada as it weakens and expands.

Inauguration of Donald Trump

President-elect Donald Trump said on Friday that his inauguration will take place indoors on Monday due to the severe cold. Temperatures are forecast to reach just 70 degrees on Monday in Washington, D.C., with the wind chill making it feel even cooler.

States from Virginia to New England could see heavy snow and frigid temperatures, with Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston possibly receiving several inches of snow.

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Southern states could also get snow and ice from a separate storm that will begin in parts of Texas Monday evening and possibly spread as far as the Gulf Coast, Taylor said.

“That's something we're keeping a close eye on, given the sensitivities of those who are not used to winter weather and are not used to these types of situations,” he said.

A weakened polar vortex could lead to disruptions in the west, bringing heavy snowfall in the western Himalayas and cooler temperatures in northern India. This shift in weather patterns often results in colder conditions and significant snowfall at higher elevations.

(With input from agencies)