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Environment

Polar vortex is set to drive record cold temperatures in the US

An intense winter storm is expected to bring wind chills as low as -70°F (-57°C) to parts of the US

By James Dinneen

22 December 2022

An Alaska Airlines plane being deiced in Seattle on Tuesday 20 December

An Alaska Airlines plane being deiced in Seattle on Tuesday, 20 December

David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images

An intense winter storm driven by Arctic air from the polar vortex is set to bring record low temperatures and powerful winds to much of the US between 22 and 24 December.

The cold front started “diving” south across the Central Great Plains on Wednesday, 21 December, rapidly bringing temperatures of -10 to -20°F (-23 to -29°C) in mountain states and on the High Plains, according to the National Weather Service. Gusts as high as 96 kilometres per hour are…

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