Ranked dead last, or perhaps not mentioned at all, would probably be the only state that sits partly within the Arctic Circle: Alaska. But 2025 is off to an interesting start as far as the weather is concerned.

As more Arctic air masses flow into the WOWK-TV region, you have undoubtedly heard the term “Polar Vortex” brought up in the conversation. But what is it? Definition: The polar vortex is a flow of wind aloft that is always present above the cold,

Any sort of wind along with the bitter cold will make for frostbite in as little as 15 to 20 minutes in the incoming arctic cold. Our long-range forecast models are continuing to pump in wind chill temperatures between -15° and 0° consistently each morning Monday through Wednesday.

Anytime we get an Arctic air blast down this far south, this is an artifact of the polar vortex rearing its ugly head,” said climatologist Barry Keim .