AccuWeather.com reports the atmosphere is preparing to send part of the polar vortex southward toward the United States next week with an outbreak of arctic air and lake-effect snow.

The polar vortex is a large pocket of very cold air, typically the coldest air in the Northern Hemisphere, which sits over the polar region. Occasionally, this pocket of very cold air can get dislodged farther south than normal, leading to cold outbreaks in Canada and the U.S.The main blast of cold air associated with the plunging polar vortex will swing southeastward into the Central and Eastern states spanning Sunday through Nov. 14.The worst of the cold will be felt from Fargo, North Dakota, and Minneapolis to Chicago and St. Louis beginning on Tuesday and continuing through the middle and latter part of the week.Chilly days and cold nights will be felt farther along the Atlantic Seaboard late in the week and into next weekend.The cold air will be accompanied by gusty winds, which will send AccuWeather RealFeel temperatures plunging into the single digits and teens in the north and into the 20s and 30s in part of the Deep South. Such cold will raise the risk of hypothermia and frostbite in the North and will make it uncomfortable for some outdoor activities in the South.While the brunt of the cold air is not likely to be directed toward the I-95 corridor of the East, a breeze accompanying the cold air will make if feel more like December for at least a few days.For folks not ready for winter, there is some indication that the cold weather will ease prior to Thanksgiving.