Many people living in the Midwest are thinking of putting away their parkas and thermal undergarments with hopes of an early spring. However, forecasters are warning it’s too early to store away winter clothing as yet another blast of arctic cold is pushing its way down from Canada. It appears as though last week’s thaw was just a tease for the Midwest and Northeast as a new polar vortex is going to push temperatures far below what’s normal for this time of the year.
Waves of cold air are going to push down from the Arctic Circle to send temperatures plunging downward in the northern Rockies, Midwest and Northeast this week. This will result in several days worth of temperatures in the teens and single digits in the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Valley that includes the Twin Cities of Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit and Buffalo. The lows overnight will be below zero and even as cold as -30 near the border to Canada. The temperatures will struggle to rise above zero this week during the daytime hours in places like Fargo, North Dakota and St. Cloud, Minnesota.
The National Weather Service said Tuesday that a much-dreaded polar vortex is set to return this week to the Midwest and Northeast where people are very weary of winter and extremely low temperatures. The service warned that people living in those portions of the country should be ready for temperatures that are between 10 and 30 degrees colder than what’s normal for this time of the year.
Wind chill advisories have been put into place by the NWS from Montana to Minnesota and Iowa. The combination of frigid air and wind will make it feel as though it is -35 degrees in those areas. The low in Chicago is expected to dip below zero Tuesday and to -10 in the Twin Cities. People living in the Plains, Midwest and Northeast are growing very tired of persistently cold weather even though a cold winter is not unexpected in those areas of the country. But, with the seemingly endless series of bitterly cold days coupled with regularly falling snow, many people are simply craving a break and are dreaming of some warmth.
The cold temperatures and regular, heavy snowfall that has dominated the Midwest this winter have caused all types of problems. There have been many cases of home and businesses flooding this winter due to frozen water pipes which burst, furnaces that won’t start and even a shortage of natural gas that’s pushed the price per unit upwards. There has also been weather-related chaos on roadways as well as vehicle starting problems this winter season which has many people such as the millions who live in the Midwest completely fed up with winter.