Arctic Blast Brings Record US Cold to 200M People

A powerful Arctic blast driven by a disrupted polar vortex is set to plunge much of the United States into record-breaking cold this week, affecting over 200 million people across at least 15 states from the Midwest to the East Coast. The surge of frigid air, amplified by La Niña weather patterns, began sweeping southward on Wednesday, with the most intense cold expected Thursday and Friday.

The National Weather Service has issued winter weather advisories and storm watches from Maine to Nebraska, warning of wind chills dropping to between 10 and 30 degrees Fahrenheit below zero in parts of the Midwest and Great Plains. Temperatures will plummet starting Thursday morning, with subzero readings widespread across the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. Cities like Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Sioux City and Waterloo could challenge decades-old December lows, with forecasts calling for morning temperatures as low as 7 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas. Chicago may see highs struggling to reach the single digits, while Minneapolis and other Upper Midwest locations remain below freezing for the entire week.

By Friday, the cold will expand eastward along the I-95 corridor, bringing...