US News

Polar vortex to hit US with midsummer cold blast

It’s the revenge of the polar vortex!

A frigid cold air system will be moving through the eastern United States next week, leading to intense weather conditions reminiscent of last year’s dreaded polar vortex.

The approaching weather system is expected to bring overwhelmingly below-average temperatures to parts of the northern and northeastern US next week, beginning Monday or Tuesday, according to the Washington Post.

States located in areas such as the High Plains, the central US and the Great Lakes could see temperatures 20 to 30 degrees below their current averages.

That means people normally dealing with scorching temperatures sometimes reaching triple digits will now find themselves enjoying highs only in the 50s and 60s.

Overnight lows could possibly even dip into the 40s in areas near the Great Lakes, especially in Minneapolis and Chicago, the Washington Post reports.

The abnormally frigid conditions should be reaching the East Coast by the end of the week, bringing strong cold fronts to New York City that could ignite a string of heavy showers and thunderstorms.

Scorching temperatures typically in the 90s will transform into the mid-70s, with overnight lows possibly reaching the 40s.

Weather Underground meteorologist Jeff Masters says Japan’s Typhoon Neoguri is to blame for the plummeting temperatures.

“Neoguri will cause an acceleration of the North Pacific jet stream, causing a large amount of warm, moist tropical air to push over the North Pacific,” he said.

“This will amplify a trough of low pressure over Alaska, causing a ripple effect in the jet stream over western North America, where a strong ridge of high pressure will develop, and over the Midwestern United States, where a strong trough of low pressure will form.”