Officials sound alarm as unusual, dangerous phenomenon expected to sweep through Eastern US: 'Coldest ... of the season'

Officials sound alarm as unusual, dangerous phenomenon expected to sweep through Eastern US: 'Coldest ... of the season'

Kim LaCapria

Thu, December 11, 2025 at 4:35 AM UTC

3 min read

Officials sound alarm as unusual, dangerous phenomenon expected to sweep through Eastern US: 'Coldest ... of the season'

A large portion of the United States is facing atypically cold temperatures in the coming days, Kentucky's WKDQ reported, due to a weather phenomenon spanning the Northeast and several Southeastern states to parts of the Midwest and West Coast.

What's happening?

According to WKDQ, the National Weather Service's Paducah, Kentucky office issued a warning on Dec. 7 in advance of exceptionally cold winter weather.

It urged locals to be prepared "before a wave of Arctic air brings the coldest temperatures of the season to the region" over the weekend of Dec. 12 and Dec. 13.

The NWS explained that while no "winter weather" like snow was anticipated, temperatures would "struggle" to go above the 20s, with "periods of sub-zero wind chills." The agency stressed the importance of safety indoors and outdoors and provided several tips.

According to The Independent, "millions of Americans" could expect a bout of extreme weather in the form of bitter and potentially deadly cold in states and municipalities, "including Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Michigan, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, and New York."

WKDQ attributed the abrupt and broad-spanning cold snap to a burst of "Arctic air." AccuWeather explained that the conditions were related to sustained bursts of cold air "driven by a breakdown of the polar vortex."

Consequently, repeated cold waves were expected to hit much of the U.S. throughout mid-December.

Why is this concerning?

After "an unusually strong blast of wintry weather" in several states in February 2021, NOAA's Climate.gov published an explainer on the polar vortex and periods of unusually cold weather.

NOAA acknowledged that an overheating planet could "paradoxically" exacerbate extreme cold weather conditions.

Later that year, NOAA highlighted a study linking polar vortex fluctuations and worsening winter weather to higher average temperatures and warmer seas. The agency cited a rare and deadly cold snap in 2021 in Texas as an example of extreme weather related to these changes.

As temperatures rise and water evaporates more quickly, it affects the weather much like accelerants affect fires.

Intensely cold weather, hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and drought are all established weather patterns — and while they've always existed, extreme weather is different. They become stronger, occur more frequently, cause more damage, cost more, and are far deadlier.

The 2021 cold snap in Texas was an unfortunate instance of the latter. While official counts indicated that 246 Texans were killed, some experts estimated that as many as 700 died.

What's being done about it?

As sustained cold continues to batter the U.S., the NWS has issued urgent regional warnings, such as the one for Kentucky, urging residents to take measures to stay safe.

Awareness of key climate issues, such as extreme weather, is a critical safety measure as these phenomena become more frequent and more dangerous.

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