4Warn Weather – Even if you love winter, the phrase “polar vortex” might send a shiver down your cold-loving spine.
We aren’t talking about your average cold snap that causes a few chillier-than-normal days.
A disruption in the polar vortex is about to send an Arctic air mass from Siberia as far south as Florida. Yes, Siberia—and it’s as dramatic as it sounds. As many as 47 states will experience unseasonably cold temperatures.
Some areas will be hit with dangerous wind chills as low as 40 below zero.
Although we have had colder polar vortex events in the past, this will likely be the most widespread in recent history.
What’s the polar vortex?
The polar vortex isn’t a storm but rather a broad area of low pressure high in the atmosphere above the Arctic.
Bands of wind circulate around the higher latitudes like a wall, confining the most extreme temperatures of winter’s wrath to places like Canada, Scandinavia, and Siberia.
When the polar vortex is stable, it acts like a dam, keeping the cold air well north of the Great Lakes. But when the polar vortex is disturbed, it can cause dangerous cold air to plunge south over North America.
An unstable vortex can hit quickly and linger for days on end.
How cold will it get in Metro Detroit?
For Metro Detroit, this means Sunday through Wednesday will be bitterly cold. Highs will be in the single digits and lows below zero.
Add some wind, and you have a recipe for school closures with wind chills of 15 to 20 below zero.