Forecasters have predicted a “brutally cold weekend” for the United States and Canada as an Arctic blast fueled by a weakened polar vortex brings the coldest air of the winter season on Saturday and Sunday, February 7-8.
“This weekend could see the coldest air of the entire winter in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic,” Washington Post meteorologist Ben Noll said.
The NOAA Weather Prediction Center forecast also noted that “a significant Arctic outbreak will bring freezing temperatures and a dangerously cold chill this weekend (February 7-8).
According to experts, the cold front is expected to start moving into the US from Canada from February 6 and strengthen on February 7.
Temperatures will drop into the single digits or below freezing across much of the eastern United States, including major urban centers like Detroit, New York City and Boston, according to AccuWeather.
“More than 100 million people in the northeastern quarter of the country are in for a brutally cold weekend as arctic air rushes south straight from eastern Canada,” senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said in the forecast.
A wind chill could make it even colder, he said, with some areas expected to see chills as low as minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
The National Weather Service noted that the most severe conditions will likely be felt inland across the Northeast and New England.
Wind gusts over 50 mph are expected
According to the Weather Prediction Center, the southern and central Appalachians, mid-Atlantic and interior Northeast will experience strong winds, potentially gusting over 50 mph.
Forecasters said it would not only worsen the dangerous, widespread sub-zero temperatures, but also potentially cause isolated tree damage and power outages.
Short periods of heavy snowfall are also in the forecast, including blizzards and blowing snow.
Cold Weather Safety Warning
Forecasters said the cold winds would pose a life-threatening risk of hypothermia and frostbite on exposed skin. Residents of affected areas have been advised to prepare for extreme cold and potential disruption from snow and high winds.
Here’s what NOAA suggests: