Weakening polar vortex to deliver more record-breaking cold to millions in Midwest and Northeast this weekend
Cold weather alerts are already in effect for much of the Upper Midwest through the weekend.
Coldest air of the season on the way for the Midwest and Northeast this weekend
The colder-than-average temperatures have been persistent so far this winter season, but another round of record-breaking cold is possible this weekend. Temperatures 20-30 degrees below average are expected on Saturday and Sunday.
The first of two arctic blasts of air being delivered late this week has arrived for the Northern Tier of the country, as a second more powerful punch of air arrives Saturday and Sunday for the Midwest and Northeast.
Cold weather alerts are already in effect for much of the Upper Midwest through the weekend.
An Extreme Cold Warning is in effect across parts of northeastern Montana and northwestern North Dakota.
FILE - Commuters make their way to work in sub-zero temperatures. (Scott Olson / Getty Images)
Meanwhile, cold weather advisories stretch from Montana to Wisconsin.
High temperatures will be in the single digits and teens from the Upper Midwest into northern New England. Across the Central U.S. and Tennessee River Valley, highs will be in the 20s and 30s, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
Wind chills will heighten the effects of the bitter cold, where cities from Minneapolis, St. Louis, Nashville and all the up to Buffalo, New York, will see temperatures 20-30 degrees below average.
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By the weekend, both Saturday and Sunday will feature some of the coldest air of the season for the country.
More severe impacts will come overnight Saturday into Sunday morning across the North, as lows will fall into the negative teens from North Dakota through Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.
People bundled up walk on a street in Chicago, the United States, on Feb. 18, 2025. Despite the sunshine, it is likely the coldest day of this week in Chicago on Tuesday, with the highest temperature being minus 23.9 Celsius degrees and the lowest plunging to minus 28.3 Celsius degrees. The wind chill is at minus 31.6 Celsius degrees. ((Photo by Vincent D. Johnson/Xinhua via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
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The FOX Weather Center said that once winds are factored in, wind values will drop alarmingly low, likely warranting Extreme Cold Warnings into the Northeast as well.
The center warns that these levels of extreme cold can be very dangerous, as frostbite or hypothermia sets in within minutes.
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Frostbite can set in as quickly as 30 minutes during freezing conditions. A blast of arctic air is dropping temperatures across the country this week, increasing the risk. Dr. Taryn Travis. a burn surgeon at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, joins FOX Weather to talk about the warning signs and symptoms of frostbite and how to treat the condition.
By early next week the cold grip will push east, and the frozen areas will slowly return to closer to average temperatures.