MARQUETTE — Nearly all of Michigan received an extreme cold warning yesterday. A surge of arctic air known as the polar vortex is the cause behind this abnormally cold weather. According to the National Weather Service, the polar vortex is a large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding both of the Earth’s poles. The term vortex refers to the counterclockwise flow of air that helps keep the colder air near the poles.

Taylor Prislovsky, National Weather Service forecaster, said, “We have this arctic air being pushed down towards us. The polar vortex is covering two-thirds of the eastern continental US.”

Expect daytime temperatures to struggle to stay above zero degrees and wind chills to stick below negative 25. Some areas in the western Upper Peninsula are expected to have the wind chill be even colder with temperatures of below 40.

Prislovsky said to expect some lake effect snow over the next couple days along with the bitter cold. However, Munising and Newberry are expected to be hotspots for this precipitation.

James Finkbeiner, road patrol captain for the Marquette police department said in order to stay prepared for this cold weather to do some prior maintenance on your vehicle. “The biggest thing is we all have to travel distances for work or school. You can’t predict everything; it’s a vehicle after all.”

Finkbeiner encouraged Marquette residents to not only warm up their cars in a well ventilated area before traveling but to also pack their cars with water, blankets, warm clothing, and food before hitting the road.

“If you’re planning on travelling any distance, tell someone where you’re going. Make sure your phone is charged before getting in the vehicle. It’s important to not let your fuel tank get low either,” said Finkbeiner. “This cold is just so extreme; it doesn’t take a lot of time for hypothermia to set in if you get stranded.”

Ayanna Allen can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 506. Her email address is aallen@miningjournal.net.