January is shaping up to be the coldest in a decade as a polar vortex moves south across the eastern half of the United States, shocking a country that has enjoyed an unusually mild end to the year.
“It’s going to be cold and then very cold,” a Fox Weather meteorologist told The Post on Monday.
“Based on the latest long-range data, this January could be the coldest since 2014,” the researchers added.
Temperatures are expected to start dropping from the Rockies to the East Coast starting Thursday, but temperatures won’t actually start dropping until seven to 14 days from now.
The plunge will bring wind chills below freezing across the Midwest, with “unusually cold” temperatures 20 degrees below average in some areas, and below-freezing conditions as far south as the Gulf Coast and Florida. , but it’s still too strict. Predict accurate temperatures early.
And Fox Weather warned that there was a “substantial chance” the vortex would produce a “significant winter storm.”
“We expect these winter storms to develop from the middle of next week into the weekend,” they said, adding that the Southeast could also see some snow and ice.
While most polar vortex forecasts are often unpredictable, Fox Weather said this cold snap is different.
“This is a very confident forecast. Weather models across the board are screaming at us that this very cold air is coming,” the meteorologist said.
The cold weather is expected to continue through January, and gradually ease up as we move into February.
Such a plunge occurs when the air currents that keep the frigid air above the North Pole, or the polar vortex, weaken and the frozen Arctic air slides south, pushing the polar vortex down.
This means that while arctic air is blowing over the United States, changes in pressure and the movement of the polar vortex are creating strong winds and creating the perfect conditions for winter weather.
The vortex stabilizes again and the cold eases as arctic air moves back north.
The January freeze comes after a cold start to December that has become unusually warm in most parts of the country.
This duality meant temperatures were essentially around average for December, although some parts of the West remained warm throughout the month, with average temperatures 13 degrees above normal, according to Fox Weather.
The January 2014 polar vortex saw more than 20 people die from cold across the country, with lows of less than 10 degrees Fahrenheit in places like Georgia, where severe cold is rarely seen.
