Another winter storm, another blast of arctic air, and another polar vortex returns to Boston.
Much like a David Tyree helmet catch, the Vortex is a source of traumatic memories that return right around the month of February.
According to weather.gov, pesky snowstorm will hit the area Tuesday evening, oscillating between snow and rain with little accumulation to show for itself until the morning commuting hours on Wednesday morning. The Boston area might get a dusting, while the middle of the state could get three inches. Nothing to stampede the grocery aisles over, though the roads are expected to be slippery.
Then comes the cold.
While we may escape the brunt of the impending arctic blast, it still might be cold enough to deter even the most rugged New Englander from purchasing an iced coffee.
The western part of Massachusetts will see lows near -10 degrees, while Boston will be around 10 degrees. Windchill is expected to hit anywhere between -5 and -25 degrees. That evening, Boston might break a record for low temps at 12 degrees, while the northern portion of New England will endure single digit temps.
The polar vortex is a massive area of low pressure and cold air surrounding the North and South poles. According to NOAA, the term vortex refers to the counterclockwise flow of air that helps keep the colder air close to the poles. About this time of year, the Polar Vortex becomes less stable and expands, sending cold Arctic air southward over the United States with the jet stream.
New England will experience a few days of cold temps and brutal windchill, but it will be nothing compared to what awaits the Midwestern states, which will see temperatures bottom out between -20 and -40.
Friday is expected to feel like a beach day by comparison, with highs in the 20’s. Saturday will reach the 30’s and Sunday will be a scorcher topping out in the 40’s. But that won’t matter much to most locals who aren’t going outside on Super Bowl Sunday evening, unless they decide to walk around the neighborhood instead of suffering through Maroon 5’s halftime show.
