Polar Vortex Spinning Towards Missouri & Illinois, But It’s Fine

There's a polar vortex coming and there's nothing you can do to stop it. That's a true statement, but it's not nearly as dire as it sounds. It is also true that it is likely to change the trajectory of winter in Missouri and Illinois for the rest of the season though.

Even the National Weather Service has warned that a big cold snap is coming. Based on computer models, you can expect and even bigger temperature drop to begin just a few days from now.

Meteorologist Travis Roberts just shared a look at the polar vortex which right now is situated (you guess it) over the arctic. This is how it will appear this Friday, January 3. It's the pink area of the map north of Canada.

Over the next week, between January 3 and January 10, computer models show the polar vortex over the arctic will spin its way south and end up directly over Missouri and Illinois.

In the middle of this temperature drop, both Missouri and Illinois are expected to be impacted by a winter storm system that could drop significant amounts of snow on our around January 6, 2025.

This map shows the likelihood of an area receiving more than 1 inch of snow by the middle of January. For Missouri and Illinois, it's all but a certainty.

As Travis explains in his video, he used to avoid saying the phrase "polar vortex" when he was on TV since people would freak out about what is a natural weather phenomenon that is always present over the arctic regions. It's during winter that it will sometimes drop south and cause temperatures to drop quickly in both Missouri and Illinois. Don't panic. It sounds drastic, but it's fine. Winter and the polar vortex over Missouri and Illinois were practically made for each other.