Nation & World News
Georgia, other states brace for polar vortex during the height of spring
We promise it's still spring - the time of year when the nation typically enjoys balmy temperatures in something of a grace period before the flaming days of summer hit more than a month from now.
Instead, however, a late blast of winter known as a polar vortex is coming Friday to defy that logic.
In many regions of the Northeast, Mother's Day weekend will be unseasonably cold, and the wind will make it feel colder, but Atlanta should remain mild and sunny with a few cold mornings but nothing more out of the ordinary.
The most extreme cold is expected to hit east of the Rockies and over the Great Lakes and the Northeast,
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There may even be snow accumulation along the Appalachians from North Carolina through Maine and across Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire, according to some forecasts, including those by
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The National Weather Service also warned of a widespread "late frost / freeze where the growing season has already started."
Temperatures are expected to drop 20 degrees or more below average in many areas, including North Georgia, where frost could settle under a lingering mass of cold air.
WSB meteorologist Brian Monahan forecasts scattered showers from Friday afternoon to Friday evening for metro Atlanta as the cold front begins to move in. Temperatures are expected to reach 68 with a low of 50 degrees Friday. After that, the weather will turn dry. On Saturday, the low drops to 42 with a high of 64 degrees under mostly sunny skies. The forecast low will remain around 42 on Sunday, while the high is expected to rise to around 70 degrees.
Cold temperatures will even be felt in neighboring Alabama and in parts of Mississippi.
The Upper Midwest and the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic should brace for extremely cold air and record-low tempertures that will last through the weekend.
Temperatures in places like Boston, Providence, Rhode Island, and Hartford, Connecticut - which average in the 60s and 70s this time of year - may not make it above the 40s on Saturday, according to The Washington Post.
A polar vortex is created when a humongous glob of tropospheric air circulating in the Arctic breaks away and spills south into regions across the northern hemisphere, including the Great Lakes and New England, and even as far south as Georgia.
Out West meanwhile, unseasonably warm temperatures were being felt.
The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings for Phoenix and much of the surrounding desert southwest areas through late this week, while heat watches were also in place for the Los Angeles and Las Vegas areas, according to news reports.
