A strong polar vortex in the stratosphere has brought subzero temperatures to the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and deep into the South.

It's like "bomb cyclone" or "firenado." It seems like the sort of phenomenon that would be responsible for the record-breaking blast of cold, snow and wintry conditions that reached all the way to the Gulf Coast this week.

A polar vortex dipping down from Siberia is bringing a cold front with frigid temperatures to millions Americans. See maps of the arctic blast.

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

It's a term you hear every couple of winters, when we get stuck in the coldest of cold patterns – polar vortex. But what exactly is it and how does it impact our weather? The polar vortex is ...

A brutal polar vortex is set to bury the Big Apple in snow Sunday and then deliver deadly single-digit temperatures that will feel like 15 degrees below zero.

These severe cold events occur when the polar jet stream – the familiar jet stream of winter that runs along the boundary between Arctic and more temperate air – dips deeply southward, bringing the cold Arctic air to regions that don’t often experience it.

A polar vortex dipping down from Siberia is bringing a cold front with frigid temperatures to millions Americans. See maps of the arctic blast.

C with the windchill but the worst is likely over. Environment Canada lifted its extreme cold warning with mid-day temperatures expected to hit -5 C on Thursday and Friday.

When there are disturbances in which the Jet Stream weakens, it can become wobbly. This allows the cold air to plunge southwards. A disrupted polar vortex does not happen every year. Very much so what happened this past week all over the United States.

Why Polar Vortexes Are Becoming More Common What do you think about this topic? Share your thoughts in the comments below — we’d love to hear from you! Want more stories like this? Follow us and never miss out!

The polar vortex, a natural atmospheric phenomenon, influences global winter weather by circulating Arctic air. Its expansion brings frigid air south,