Arctic blast from polar vortex to send temperatures plunging across the U.S. Here’s how cold it will get.
Trump's inauguration in Washington, D.C., has been moved indoors due to the frigid forecast.
An arctic blast will send temperatures across the United States plummeting as bitterly cold air that originated in Siberia will arrive from Canada by week’s end, bringing with it dangerously cold wind chills for millions of Americans.
The Rockies, Northern Plains and Upper Midwest may see minimum wind chills of minus 30 degrees or lower through Tuesday, the National Weather Service said, while subzero wind chill readings are likely for the southern Plains and Ohio Valley.
"This poses a great risk of hypothermia and frostbite to exposed skin," the weather service warned. "Have a cold weather survival kit if traveling."
When will the cold air arrive?
Driven by the jet stream, part of the polar vortex — a large area of cold air that spins over the North Pole in the winter — will drop about 3,000 miles south into the U.S., delivering the blast of brutally cold temperatures.
“Arctic air plunges across the Rockies and Great Plains on Friday, crossing the Deep South and Great Lakes Saturday night and the Eastern Seaboard on Sunday,” the weather service said.
Temperatures will plunge by 30-40 degrees in some places.
Arctic cold is forecast to surge through much of the Lower 48 starting later this week into next week. Bitterly cold wind chills are possible over many areas. See our Key Messages below. Stay safe during cold weather: https://t.co/yWyoCFw9jP pic.twitter.com/g5LmFqBa3I
— NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) January 15, 2025
For many, the coldest temperatures will be seen on Tuesday.
"Nearly 80 million Americans will be below 0°F by next Tuesday when extremely cold Canadian/Siberian Arctic air descends on the Lower 48," meteorologist Ryan Maue wrote on X. "The nationwide average low temperature will be only 6°F."
Nearly 80 million Americans will be below 0°F by next Tuesday when extremely cold Canadian / Siberian Arctic air descends on the Lower 48.
The nationwide average low temperature will be only 6°F pic.twitter.com/1tK8M7ijex— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) January 15, 2025
“There’s no escaping this,” Fox Weather meteorologist Britta Merwin said. “Everyone will feel it."
Read more from Yahoo Life: Here's how to stay safe during cold weather
Just how cold will it get?
Very. Some places in North Dakota will see “life-threatening” wind chill readings of 50 degrees below zero on Sunday, the National Weather Service in Bismarck said.
For much of the country, temperatures will dip 10 to 20 degrees below their historical averages:
On Sunday in Minneapolis, the high will be minus 2 degrees and the low will be minus 11 degrees, according to AccuWeather.
In Washington, D.C., the high will be in the low-to-mid 20s on Monday for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration — prompting it to be moved indoors. (President Ronald Reagan's second inauguration, in 1985, was also moved inside due to the weather.)
In New York City on Tuesday, it won’t make it out of the teens.
Places unaccustomed to subfreezing temperatures, like Dallas (low of 20 degrees on Monday) and Atlanta (low of 14 degrees on Tuesday), will see them next week.
By late next week, temperatures will recover to near or slightly below average for much of the country, the weather service said, with at or above-average readings expected in February.
