With Monday’s snowfall still piled high on lawns and driveways, much of the Mid-Atlantic looks like the inside of a freezer.
Thanks to the polar vortex, it feels like one, too.
Why is it so cold?
The Philadelphia region was hammered Monday by the season’s first big storm, with some areas in Delaware and the lower Jersey Shore collecting eight or more inches of snow.
But, today, it’s all about the cold.
Temperatures plunged into the teens and single digits in some spots, and the snow-dusted winds are driving the wind chill below zero.
Polar vortex forecast for Jan. 8-15, 2025
The polar vortex, a swirling mass of Arctic air typically contained over the North Pole, has pushed south, driving bone-chilling temperatures into the eastern United States.
And it’s here to stay for a bit. The rest of this week promises temps losing the battle to reach the freezing mark, while long-range forecasts suggest the polar vortex won’t ease up until mid-January.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Why is it so cold today? January polar winds freezing out region