COLUMBUS, Ohio – Some are calling it the Return of the Polar Vortex. Others say it is a “downstream amplification” of the jet stream. Either way, it’s about to bring a change in our weather that could have you looking twice at your calendar.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service say the remnants of a former typhoon in the western Pacific will send the jet stream farther north over the Pacific Northwest, bringing scorching heat, but will funnel colder air to the Midwest (see above).
Temperatures next week are forecast to be as much as 15 degrees below normal.
Some meteorologists say the phenomenon is reminiscent of the “polar vortex” that5 brought dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills to Ohio and mush of the upper Midwest during a long, bitter winter.
The summer version will mean days in the low to mid-70’s and nighttime temperatures in the 50’s.
There is a possibility of severe weather Sunday afternoon and evening as a cold front moves through, and the substantial cooling trend begins on Tuesday. Highs will range from the lower 70’s in northwest Ohio to the upper 70’s in the southeast.
The coldest air will arrive Tuesday night and Wednesday, when high temperatures could be some 10 to 15 degrees below normal for middle July. The forecast currently calls for highs in the lower to middle 70s. Normal highs are in the lower to middle 80s.
Overnight lows Wednesday night will be in the lower to middle 50s.