The United States is currently experiencing an intense cold front linked to the so-called Arctic “polar vortex”.  The icy air that has particularly affected the central and eastern United States is now descending as far as the Gulf Coast.

According to the National Weather Service, a polar vortex will impact most of the country this weekend, here is what you need to know.

A blast of Arctic air is set to cover much of the United States with temperatures below freezing starting on Friday and into next week, impacting millions of Americans in nearly all of the contiguous states.

In Indiana, around zero degrees was likely, the map showed, with temperatures of around three degrees possible in Northern Maine. Northern Georgia would see temperatures around 16, and in Colorado, the map showed that some areas would see -9.

The freezing temperatures will move eastward, reaching locations like Philadelphia, where daytime highs will only reach the upper teens. The polar vortex is a gigantic circular upper-air weather pattern in the Arctic that envelops the North Pole.

Arctic air has brought chilling temperatures as low as 12 degrees in New York City on Monday night but are we in a polar vortex? A polar vortex settled its way over New York City and New Jersey following Sunday’s snow storm,

Meteorologist Travis Clark-Smith dives into what caused our recent cold snap.

This blast of frozen temperatures is tied to a polar vortex... but what is that? Air spins around the notoriously cold North and South Poles. When the air is spinning fast, it's stable, but when it is weakest,