Callum Jones
Parts of the US have been hit with a weather warning as they're set to experience the ‘most extreme cold on Earth’ before the festive season gets underway.
With Thanksgiving now out of the way, people's attention have turned to Christmas, which is just around the corner.
But ahead of the big day, central to eastern parts of the country are set to be hit freezing temperatures, making it difficult to head out and get that last-minute Christmas shopping.
MIT climatologist Judah Cohen has predicted temperatures from the Midwest to East Coast are set to plummet to about 15 to 20 degrees below the December average in the third week of this month.
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To put that into perspective, New Yorkers often expect temperatures at around 37 degrees fahrenheit in mid-December - meaning the 'extreme cold' could see temperatures reach as low as the teens.
Speaking to USA Today about the upcoming freeze, Cohen said: "My thinking is that the cold the first week of December is the appetizer and the main course will be in mid-December.
"The most expansive region of most likely extreme cold on Earth stretches from the Canadian Plains to the US East Coast in the 3rd week of December."
Many parts of the US are already experiencing bitter temperatures this week, with the Midwest seeing highs in the 10s. Meanwhile, regions such as Illinois and Missouri will experience lows of around zero.
The extreme cold is coming from the movement of the polar vortex dipping low, which ultimately brings bitter artic air over the large parts of the US.
Snow has already been seen in parts of Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska, while Chicago’s O’Hare airport saw over eight inches of snow on Saturday (November 29).
Meteorologist Andrew Orrison has said 'significant' snowfall is expected in the mid-Atlantic and north-east on Tuesday (December 2).
"It’s going to be the first snowfall of the season for many of these areas, and it’s going to be rather significant," he told the Associated Press.
"The good news is that it does not look like the major cities at this point are going to be looking at any significant snowfall."
Parts of New York and New England are set to be covered in as much as eight inches on Tuesday, while Fox Weather forecasts notes some pockets could see up to 12 inches.