Polar Vortex To Invade Midwest, Wind Chills May Exceed 50 Below Zero
DENVER (CBS4) - States such as North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa are bracing for some of the coldest weather in years as we round out the month of January. Major cities, including Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago, could see historic levels of cold by Wednesday with daytime highs staying in the teens and 20s below zero.
Dangerously cold air arrives for mid-week. Temps and wind chills for Wednesday morning. #mnwx #ndwx pic.twitter.com/JBRV50p9Jb
— NWS Grand Forks (@NWSGrandForks) January 26, 2019
It's all because of the polar vortex, a large area of very cold air that circles the North Pole. Some of that cold air is going to break off and slide south into the central United States this week.
The National Weather Service is warning that wind chill values could exceed 50 below zero in many areas. Air temperatures in northern Minnesota and parts of North Dakota could approach 40 degrees below zero.
Eastern Colorado will sit on the extreme western edge of this air mass and will turn sharply colder starting Monday. By Tuesday morning we could be in the single digits above zero in Denver.
Brutally cold temperatures and wind chills will be the rule next week across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana. pic.twitter.com/3dhXWllzMn
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) January 26, 2019