'Wild' Winter Weather Coming To PG County, Forecasters Warn

The 10 inches of snow we got this past weekend may be just a foreshadowing of what is to come this winter in Prince George's County.

The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang -- not one to hype snowstorms -- tweeted Tuesday: "GET READY.... The end of this month and especially February may be WILD for winter weather in eastern U.S."

And a USA Today report noted: "Any hopes we had for a mild end to January appear to be over."

Just stating the obvious: as strong as this cold shot looks early next week w/ lows maybe reaching the 10s in central NC, what's coming at the tail end of January into early February will be a lot more impressive. This is about the coldest planetary-scale pattern you can ask for. pic.twitter.com/09zr5pMykY
— Eric Webb (@webberweather) January 15, 2019

What's happening? The polar vortex -- the icy winds that swirl above the Arctic thousands of feet up -- has split in not two but three pieces, and that means one thing: frigid air headed for the eastern United States.

If you recall the sudden burst of snowstorms we got in the early spring last year after a mild winter, that was also a result of the polar vortex splitting a few weeks prior. This one looks likely to have a more powerful effect, and it's taking place right in the dead of winter.

Expect a "severe and punishing winter weather pattern" to settle in in about 10 days, CWG says in their report.

Winter may only be getting started. BOTH the American and European modeling systems show a pattern very favorable for BOTH cold and winter storms in the eastern U.S. becoming established in 10 to 14 days. Here's our story on this.: https://t.co/hebiPepBW8 https://t.co/aPfKqijVUP
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) January 15, 2019

In a way, it's sort of weather karma. We had 28 days of warmer than average temperatures from the holidays into the new year. Now, we are about to pay the price.

The vortex split around the start of the new year, and it takes a few weeks for the effects to settle in. The 10 inches we got may have been an early result of this split.

It is going to be a lot colder than you've been used to, with temperatures expected to be about 10 to 25 degrees below average. Depending on the day, it could get more extreme than that.

So buy your snow shovels and warm winter gear now. Old Man Winter is coming, and once he arrives in late January, he'll be sticking around through February at least.

(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)