Polar Vortex Will Bring Cold, Temperature Swings To NYC

NEW YORK CITY — A dreaded two-word blast of chilly air is poised to compound New York City's recent woes.

The polar vortex is predicted to descend over the United States over the next few days and bring cold temperatures to every state including Hawaii.

So far it appears New York City will be spared the worst of bitter cold — we're talking minus 40 wind chills — unluckily predicted for the Upper Midwest and northern Plains starting this weekend.

But it'll still be cold — lows in the city will dip to around 20 degrees starting Sunday night and Monday morning. And that's after two separate wet, chilly and potentially snowy days of winter weather this week.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo previously warned that Friday and Sunday could see two winter storms that would add to the snowy mess New York City is still digging out from. Thankfully, the National Weather Service forecast appears to have mellowed slightly for those days.

Friday has a 70 percent of precipitation with a high near 43 and wind gusts up to 24 mph, the weather service predicts.

"Rain likely, mainly between 10am and 1pm, then a slight chance of drizzle after 1pm," according to the forecast.

Saturday will be relatively uneventful while snow and rain could hit Sunday, the forecast states.

"A chance of snow before 10am, then a chance of rain and snow between 10am and noon, then a chance of rain after noon," according to the forecast.

Highs on Sunday will hit 40 degrees, but plunge overnight to 22, the forecast states. The temperature won't hit above freezing for the foreseeable future, according to the National Weather Service.

Here's the extended forecast, as of Thursday morning:

Thursday
Sunny, with a high near 38. Wind chill values between 20 and 30. Northwest wind 9 to 14 mph.

Thursday Night
Increasing clouds, with a low around 30. West wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable.

Friday
Rain likely, mainly between 10am and 1pm, then a slight chance of drizzle after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 43. South wind 10 to 14 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 29. Wind chill values between 20 and 25. West wind 11 to 14 mph.

Saturday
Sunny, with a high near 38. West wind 13 to 16 mph.

Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.

Sunday
A chance of snow before 10am, then a chance of rain and snow between 10am and noon, then a chance of rain after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 40. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 22.

Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 32.

Monday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 21.

Tuesday
A 30 percent chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 30.

Tuesday Night
A 40 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20.

Wednesday
A 30 percent chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 30.