Record cold for 235 million Americans starting in just HOURS as polar vortex brings 'most extreme cold on Earth'

Winter weather warnings have been issued in 30 states as a bone-chilling polar vortex is poised to freeze the US with record cold temperatures starting tonight. 

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued winter weather advisories and winter storm watches from Maine to Nebraska, with wind chills in certain regions of the Midwest and Great Plains to make it feel between -10 to -30 degrees Fahrenheit.

The heaviest snow is expected to arrive Monday night, with parts of Ohio, eastern Pennsylvania, upstate New York, and most of New England seeing up to six inches accumulating by Tuesday.

Large stretches of the Midwest which have already been hit by a Thanksgiving snow storm, including in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan, could see temperatures drop into the single digits today and Tuesday.

Meteorologists have also warned that the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, Wisconsin, and Minnesota may experience their coldest days of the year on Monday, falling well below zero degrees in certain areas by tonight.

The frigid forecast is expected to last all week throughout the US as cold air from Canada and Greenland plunges south because of a weakening in the Earth's polar vortex.

The polar vortex is like a giant, spinning whirlpool of cold air high up in the atmosphere above the North Pole, normally held in place by strong winds that act as a barrier, keeping the extreme cold locked away from the US.

However, strong storms and high-pressure systems in the lower atmosphere have sent ripples of warmer air upward that knocked this vortex off balance, allowing the icy Arctic air to dip farther south and blanket the US.

Ice warnings have also been issued for Monday night and Tuesday morning in parts of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina, where meteorologists fear slippery roads and sidewalks could endanger commuters and cause travel delays.

Temperatures are expected to remain around the freezing point throughout the rest of the week, with the polar vortex projected to descend all the way to the South on Wednesday and Thursday, reaching Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee.

AccuWeather has warned that parts of at least 20 states may see temperatures drop up to 20 degrees below historical averages for the beginning of December.

In Midwest states such as Iowa, forecasters have said that Thursday could see the thermometer fall below -10 degrees, which would break records throughout the state that have stood for decades.

On Friday, record-low temperatures in the teens and 20s have also been forecasted for New York, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Baltimore.

The winter blast and ongoing snow storms already caused a 45-car pileup along Interstate 70 about 10 miles from Terre Haute, Indiana on Saturday.

Several of the cars slid across the eastbound side to the median, into the grass, and even toward oncoming traffic on the westbound side of the highway.

The incoming storms are expected to continue impacting ground and air travel, while also forcing schools in certain areas to shutter temporarily. 

Climatologist Judah Cohen, a research scientist at MIT, told USA Today: 'My thinking is that the cold the first week of December is the appetizer and the main course will be in mid-December.'

Cohen claimed that his computer model has forecasted 'that the most expansive region of most likely extreme cold on Earth stretches from the Canadian Plains to the US East Coast in the third week of December.'

The 'polar vortex' is expected to remain up above Canada for the next seven to 10 days, according to Weather Trader meteorologist Ryan Maue in a Substack post.

Determining where snow will fall and how much is a bit trickier, given that precipitation cannot be predicted more than three days in advance.

According to AccuWeather's latest forecast, the storm will form along a boundary where expanding cold air and warm air will have begun to meet from Monday night into Tuesday.

The storm will bring a mix of snow and sleet to Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, along with parts of West Virginia, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.

Parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina will likely also have to deal with ice buildup on top of snowfall.

The southern states, from coastal Virginia to northern Florida and as far inland as eastern Texas, are expected to be hit with significant rainfall, thunderstorms, and localized flooding tonight and through Tuesday.

The Catskills of New York, the Berkshires of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and southeastern Maine could see a maximum of 12 inches of snow beginning Monday night and lasting until Tuesday evening.

In cities such as New York City and Philadelphia, the snow will eventually turn to rain on Tuesday, potentially leading to more slippery roads.

If a second storm blows down cold air from the Hudson Valley, New York could be in for even more snow than previously thought.