Snow Kidding: A Polar Vortex Could Hit the Eastern U.S. This Month

If you’re in the eastern U.S. and planning some gardening sessions, you might want to double-check the forecast. According to the Washington Post, a polar vortex like the one that hit the U.S. in 2019 is lurking and prepared to unleash chilly air in the eastern half of the country. Some areas can even expect snow—in Pennsylvania, maybe as much as an inch.

Powder is expected in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic areas, with cool temperatures spreading from the Upper Midwest to New England, which might see a topcoat of snow beginning this weekend. Georgia might get some frost. The cold front could experience 20-degree reductions in temperatures, with Minneapolis dropping into the upper 40s and Chicago seeing 45°F.

Areas like Providence, Rhode Island; Hartford, Connecticut; and Boston—normally in the 60s this time of year—might not climb out of the 40s over the weekend. New York City, which has been enjoying temperatures in the 70s, won’t get out of the 50s.

Blame the peculiar weather on the polar vortex, which may be best described as an arctic hurricane that transports freezing air south when warm weather pushes it out of northern Canada, Alaska, or Greenland. In other words: There’s no rush on installing that air conditioner just yet.