Brace yourself for a cold snap.
A bitterly cold polar vortex is set to hit the US this weekend, sending the mercury diving in much of the country and plunging some states into “deep freeze,” forecasts predict.
The arctic blast will blow in Sunday night to plunge temperatures nationwide, including in normally balmy Hawaii and Florida, according to AccuWeather and the National Weather Service.
“The frigid weather will usher in the lowest temperatures of the season so far, and it will be enough to pose dangers to Americans spending time outdoors,” AccuWeather warned Friday.
“Bitter cold may add a bit of shock.”
Parts of Minnesota are expected to be hit hardest by the so-called “flash freeze” with forecasts as low as -25 in St. Paul, where moves are in place to shutter schools and roads, according to meteorologists and local reports.
A flash freeze is when rapidly nosediving temperatures quickly turn wet roads to ice.
The cold spell comes as parts of the Northeast recover from Winter Storm Orlena, and includes up to a foot of snow in the Lake Michigan area.
Meanwhile, temps in New York City are expected to fall to an icy 20 degrees on Sunday with up to 3 inches of snow, according to AccuWeather. Monday will be partly sunny with a low of 25 degrees.
Temperatures in New York, the Midwest and most other parts of the US are expected to warm up slightly by the end of next week, according to AccuWeather.
