Ammon News - A blast of Arctic air gripped much of the central and eastern portions of the U.S. on Friday in sub-freezing temperatures well below normal for this time of year, setting records from Iowa and Michigan to New York.

The frigid weather pattern stemmed from a fluctuation in the clockwise circulation of polar air, also known as the polar vortex, that was drawing icy air from Canada into northern tier of the U.S., according to meteorologist Marc Chenard of the U.S. Weather Prediction Center outside Washington.

The Arctic chill, plunging temperatures much as 20 degrees Fahrenheit below average, began on Thursday and was expected to persist in waves over the next week or two, making it the most extensive and intense cold snap of the season, Chenard said.

Colder-than-normal temperatures, though still above freezing, were expected to dip into the Southeast, according to Chenard.

Reuters