BALTIMORE, MD—Brace yourselves for a blast of arctic cold as the first polar vortex of 2025 is set to sweep across the majority of the United States in early January, bringing with it subzero temperatures, snowstorms, and potential power outages. The extreme cold weather will impact millions of Americans from the northern Plains to the Southeast, with some areas experiencing temperatures up to 30 degrees below average.
According to FOX Weather, the coldest air of the season will grip the Southeast during the second week of January, with below-freezing temperatures reaching as far south as the Gulf Coast and Florida Peninsula. Frozen precipitation is predicted across the region, including the southern Plains. This wave of arctic air could make January 2025 the coldest January for the U.S. as a whole since 2011, warns AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Expert Paul Pastelok.
The surge in demand for heating due to the extreme cold could lead to rolling blackouts and power grid issues in the Southeast. This is in contrast to the previous two Januarys in the Upper Midwest (Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan), which were significantly warmer than average. January 2023 was 6.3 Fahrenheit above average, while January 2024 was 4.2 above average. AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin predicts this January will be the first below-normal January in this region since 2022.
The polar vortex, a region of low atmospheric pressure and cold air surrounding the Earth’s poles, will spread from the northern Plains southward and eastward. Heavy snowfall is expected along the Appalachians, Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, and Northeast, potentially causing significant travel disruptions in major metro areas like New York City, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC. Lake effect snow also occurs downwind of the Great Lakes. Between 6-12 inches of snow are forecast in that region by Thursday morning.
While the term “polar vortex” is relatively new, the phenomenon itself is a regular occurrence. It’s important to note that the polar vortex always exists near the poles but intensifies during the winter months.
— NWS Climate Prediction Center (@NWSCPC) December 30, 2024
This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.
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