Another polar outburst coming; will this one last?

Remember all that talk about the Polar Vortex?

You'll be hearing about it again, starting next week.

That "polar vortex" term was misused by a lot of people, but it's basically a catch-all term for a deep low pressure system over eastern Canada. The counter-clockwise flow around the vortex sends arctic air masses into the continental United States.

When the vortex is centered closer to the polar region, the cold air doesn't come that far south -- into the far northern part of the United States, for example.

Earlier this month, the vortex dropped farther south. That sent extremely cold air funneling down into the South. And that's what the computer models indicate will happen again next week.

The difference between the upcoming outbreak of cold air and the last one is longevity. It appears, based on the computer models, that the next blast from the arctic will last a lot longer. The last one was a short-lived (two-day) event. The next one could last for a week or more. In fact, some meteorologists predict it will continue through the first week of February (to be followed by milder weather for the rest of the month).

Joe Bastardi, who is well-known in weather circles for his long-range forecasts (and his strong personality), has predicted in recent days that the upcoming blast from the arctic will cause major financial damage over the eastern United States.

It appears as if the cold air will arrive Wednesday in the Carolinas, with high temperatures probably not getting out of the 30s. But there could be even colder weather coming behind that.

A couple other notes:

Super Bowl ... Let's not forget that this year's Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 2 in New York. If the next polar outburst continues for a week or so, we face the prospect of watching the big game played in Green Bay-type conditions.  Of course, the NFL said it was ready for such a thing.

Carolinas snow ... Many of the computer models indicate the upcoming cold snap will be mostly dry, and that the southern jet stream, which produces storm systems out of the Gulf of Mexico, will be rather quiet. We'll have to watch that.

You'll be hearing a lot more about this over the next several days.