Just when everyone thought the infamous polar vortex is gone (if not quite forgotten, having dipped the temperatures in some part of the US to sub-Martian levels), it's baaaack. Sky News reports [5]that America is set to be hit by another blast from the polar vortex although this time Niagara falls may not freeze, as temperatures are likely to be higher than last week's extreme conditions. "The polar plunge is expected to move south from Canada, bringing colder air and sub-zero temperatures to the US this week. Forecasters say it will sweep over the lower Mississippi Valley and Midwest on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then hit the East on Thursday. The main thrust of the cold air will follow up a couple of days later."
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More from Sky [5]:
"Following the retreat of Arctic air this weekend, waves of progressively colder air will move southward over Canada this week," said Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather.com's lead long-range forecaster. "We will likely see a piece of the polar vortex break off and set up just north of the Great Lakes spanning January 16 to 20.
"This next main arctic blast will not rival, nor will be as extensive as the event last week."
Many areas are still recovering from last week's polar vortex, which saw the mercury plunge to -12C (11F) in New York City and -24C in Chicago.
A Coast Guard cutter was brought in to keep shipping lanes open, but the ice was too thick to break in places.
Residents have flocked to the river banks to take pictures of the polar conditions.
Rick Wilson, from Yardley, Pennsylvania, told an ABC TV station: "Incredible. I came down here just to take pictures of this. My grandchildren would not believe this. This looks like something you'd find in Antarctica."
Sky News weather producer Jo Robinson said: "After a milder spell, plunges of cold air are expected later in the week. “The first is expected across parts of Canada, the Midwest and eastern parts of the US over the next few days. "More significant cold air will affect those areas by the weekend, but thankfully it doesn’t look to be as cold as last week."
Of course, what is bad news for anyone who needs to buy heating at surge pricing, is great news for apologists of bad economic data, because don't look now, but January employment numbers just became "meaningless" and if the BLS issues another disappointing jobs report on the first Friday of February, it will be the weather's fault. And, "logically", if the report is great, it will be entirely due to the recovery.