We Meet Again, Polar Vortex

Bad news for...well, everybody except cold-weather swimmers and ice lovers, really. A new sort-of polar vortex is expected, in the summer this time, threatening to dump a chill on all our customary July festivities. It seems as though we have a typhoon to thank for this one, rolling off the coast of Japan, according to Dr. Jeff Masters of the Weather Underground. This wouldn't be terribly surprising, as the original polar vortex had a similarly distant point of origin — the pollution crisis in China may have actually intensified the effect of the winter-cold surge.

Let's be clear: This isn't a polar vortex comparable to the last one, but a similar-ish weather event being dubbed "Polar Vortex 2.0." And I understand completely if this has you spooked. Because it's July. Also, the first time around was bad enough, leading to some miserably cold weather across the country, but even then, some places went unaffected (ahem, California). It's also disconcerting, living in an era of intensifying climate change, to see these kinds of bizarre weather patterns.

But it also begs the question — who's going to bear the brunt of this unseasonable chill, and who's going to get off scot-free? It's always hard to be certain: Weather is tricky to predict, even with the amount of technology we have available. But as the poor weather inches ever closer, the picture is slowly but surely getting clearer. So who's going to be left out in the cold?

The East Coast Will Be Hit Hard

This weather projection shows the scope of the coming cold, and it looks a lot like what transpired in the winter. Namely, the East Coast is expected to be chilly. The image projects low temperatures from July 16 to 20 — that's next Wednesday through Sunday — so be mindful of your weekend plans if you're out east. You wouldn't want to waste a trip to the beach!

The Midwest Will Be Hit Hardest

As the cool air gushes downward from the North, it's expected to cover the Midwestern United States almost completely, seizing the Great Lakes, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Kansas City in its frosty clutches. This is not, luckily, likely to be as dire a cold as what happened last winter — this being an unseasonably cold period in the dead of summer, as observed by the Weather Underground, the temperatures won't get too dizzyingly low. The Midwest is expected to average about 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit less than what it usually would this time of year.

The South May Cool Off a Little

While the deepest of deep-South states probably won't notice much difference, some of the more northerly ones might take notice — it's varyingly projected to head toward the Gulf Coast, touching Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi along the way. Thanks to the higher temperatures in these places anyways, though, it could prove a refreshing change of pace from typically sweltering Southern summers.

The West Coast Gets Away With It All, Again

When the pendulum of cosmic justice finally swings back against the West Coast, it's probably going to be pretty bad, right? Once again, just as during the original polar vortex last winter, the good people of the Western United States are expected to dodge the cooling. Indeed, quite to the contrary, it's projected to be pretty damn warm over that period of time, which might actually be worse — California is in a state of severe drought, and some wintery weather wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. In any case, if you're west of the Rockies, probably no need to worry.

Image: Getty (1)