US Polar vortex returns after brief taste of spring weather
The US is experiencing a repeat of January's icy weather, which saw the Niagara Falls freeze over
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.After a brief taste of spring weather, parts of the US are being plagued once again by the polar vortex.
The worst of the icy weather will centre on the upper Midwest, the Climate Prediction Centre predicts.
“Record cold temperatures are possible for the High Plains, Upper Midwest and Great Lakes later this week,” the US National Weather Service said in an online forecast.
There are reports that Minneapolis has been hit by temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below normal, with current reports stating that it is -16 C.
Cities including Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo, are also expected to experience unusually low temperatures, with the mercury in some areas dropping by as much as 40 degrees to below 0 C by midweek, according to AccuWeather.
“The polar vortex is essentially a mass of very cold air that usually hangs out above the Arctic Circle and is contained by strong winds,” AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski told USA Today.
Temperatures in the Great Lakes and in areas of the Tennessee Valley will barely also be plunged below freezing.
Meanwhile, heavy snowstorms will spread across the Northeast by midweek, covering Washington DC, New York City, and Boston.
The cold snap earlier in the year broke a number of meteorological records, including the coldest winter in Detroit for over 35 years, while temperatures in Duluth, Minnesota, have not risen above -17 C in 59 days.
When the polar vortex first struck this year in January, the weather was so cold that the Niagara Falls stopped cascading, as if frozen in time.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments