A major winter blast is stirring up dangerous conditions across the U.S. central and southern states all the way to the East Coast

A polar vortex is about to impact the United States and deliver what the National Weather Service has described as “the coldest air of the season to date.” Meteorologists predict the surge of arctic air will push south through central and eastern portions of the U.S. to start the new year, according to the Weather Prediction Center.

Multiple rounds of frigid, arctic air could sweep across the eastern half of U.S. in the coming weeks, ushering in an abnormally cold start to 2025. The first blast of bitter cold hits the Northern Plains and the Midwest on Wednesday and Thursday and then reaches the Northeast by the end of this week.