Back In The Deep Freeze, But NOT “A Polar Vortex”.

I’d like to take a quick moment for a public service announcement:

Stop abusing & misusing the term “Polar Vortex”!

Every time the media parrots “polar vortex” completely out of context, a meteorologist dies a little inside. See this handy graphic from NWS New York:

The American Meteorological Society had to go so far as to clarify the definition of “polar vortex” in its Glossary of Meteorology:

Updated @ametsoc glossary of meteorology definition #polarvortex. It doesn't go and come, visit FL, or bake cookies http://t.co/ls7m9jYdZv

— Marshall Shepherd (@DrShepherd2013) February 21, 2014

Scientific American also put out a nice article explaining how the polar vortex works here: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2014/01/06/what-is-this-polar-vortex-that-is-freezing-the-u-s/

Now that we’ve taken care of that business, more cold air plunges southward once again this week. Sub-zero lows will be common across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, with even lower wind chill values. (If you read the material above, you’ll be able to distinguish this cold from the actual polar vortex.)

Wednesday morning is one of the worst, so you’ll want to grab those coats and mittens as you head out the door. Cold air plunges into the Ohio Valley & knocks on the door of Georgia, Alabama, & Mississippi.

Another lobe of arctic air comes south on Saturday, but this one is generally further west. Central states are affected, while the Northeast gets a bit of a break from the chill.

Just a reminder from Old Man Winter that it’s not over just yet . . .

Stay warm out there! And thanks for stopping by. -Meteorologist Miranda Hilgers (@mhilgersWNTV)