The wildest wintry facts about the incoming polar vortex


A major winter storm is already sliding into the Midwest, making it downright dangerous to even step outside. Here's what to expect from the oncoming polar vortex.
Temperatures colder than Antarctica: Weather stations around the South Pole showed temperatures around 20-30 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, seeing as it's summer down south, per Accuweather. Chicago can expect a potentially record-setting temperature of 15 degrees below zero on Wednesday. Wisconsin's and Minnesota's temperatures are likely to be even lower. Those temperatures, worsened to as low as 50 degrees below zero by intense wind chills, are cold enough to give you hypothermia in less than five minutes, CBS News says. It's all prompted states of emergencies in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois.
Freezing temperatures nearly nationwide:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Hundreds of schools closing: From as far west as North Dakota and on through Buffalo, New York, schools were closed far in advance of Wednesday's weather forecast. Further east, closures mostly stem from an expected two feet of snow. Government buildings and courthouses across the Midwest are already shut down, too. It's even too cold for an ice castle display in Geneva, Illinois, reports ABC7 Chicago.
Flight cancellations: Snow stymied 1,300 flights from Chicago's airports on Monday, and hundreds more were canceled Tuesday morning, per FlightAware.com. A surprising snow in Atlanta also saw 300 flights into and out of the city canceled Tuesday. Georgia's capital is expected to see the most cancellations in the coming days, Fortune writes.
The Super Bowl is still on: It's in Atlanta, but things should be cleared up by then.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
The secrets of lab-grown chocolate
Under The Radar Chocolate created 'in a Petri dish' could save crisis-hit industry
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Trade war with China threatens U.S. economy
Feature Trump's tariff battle with China is hitting U.S. businesses hard and raising fears of a global recession
By The Week US
-
Corruption: The road to crony capitalism
Feature Trump's tariff pause sent the stock market soaring — was it insider trading?
By The Week US
-
US proposes eroding species protections
Speed Read The Trump administration wants to change the definition of 'harm' in the Environmental Protection Act to allow habitat damage
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central US
Speed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslides
Speed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Death toll rises in LA fires as wind lull allows progress
Speed Read At least 24 people have died and 100,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Biden cancels Italy trip as raging LA fires spread
Speed Read The majority of the fires remain 0% contained
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Fast-spreading Los Angeles wildfires spark panic
Speed Read About 30,000 people were under an evacuation order as the inferno spread
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Hundreds feared dead in French Mayotte cyclone
Speed Read Cyclone Chido slammed into Mayotte, a French territory in the Indian Ocean
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Thirteen missing after Red Sea tourist boat sinks
Speed Read The vessel sank near the Egyptian coastal town of Marsa Alam
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK