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The polar vortex has returned to the U.S., and frostbite-inducing temperatures are blasting millions of Americans.
The FOX Forecast Center reports that cold arctic air is moving down and spreading across the contiguous United States, causing temperatures to drop significantly, reaching 30-40 degrees below the usual averages for this time of year.
This cold spell seems to have settled in for the near future, possibly lasting until the end of the month, as indicated by the FOX Forecast Center.
Weather bureaus from the National Weather Service all over the country have issued Cold Weather Advisories and Extreme Cold Warnings for over 93 million people in the United States, covering areas from the border with Canada down to the Florida Panhandle and across to Deep South Texas.
Wicked wind chills for the northern tier
The north-central U.S. is suffering from the most extreme cold, with wind chills as low as -60 degrees for parts of the Dakotas, Montana and Minnesota.
Bismarck, North Dakota, recorded a low temperature of -39 degrees on Tuesday, the coldest day there since Jan. 15, 2009.
Rochester, Minnesota, dipped to -19 degrees Tuesday morning, tying a record low for Feb. 18.
More than 204 million Americans are experiencing temperatures below freezing.
Subzero temperatures reach Deep South
Extreme Cold Warnings are covering large parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
The FOX Forecast Center warns parts of Texas could experience cold rivaling the infamous Texas freeze of 2021.
It felt like -1 degrees in Dallas and -26 degrees in Dodge City, Kansas, on Wednesday morning.
These areas are forecast to experience life-threatening wind chills through Wednesday morning, with feels-like temperatures approaching 60 degrees below zero across the north-central U.S.
Under these conditions, frostbite can occur within minutes on exposed skin.
Record lows are possible across the Plains and even in places across the South, like Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, by Thursday, with dozens of cities facing potentially record-breaking morning low temperatures.
The situation is more concerning as the arctic air pushes into the South, enveloping areas not accustomed to extreme cold.
Arctic temperatures are not expected to lift until Saturday.