Hello, world? Can I come out of hibernation yet?
Folks in the central and eastern United States who've endured weeks of bitter cold and snow are wondering: Is winter over? Willthe polar vortexcome back? Are we safe from the worst of winter's wrath?
Experts have some good news: "The most intense cold of the winter is largely behind the eastern and central states," AccuWeather lead long-range meteorologist Paul Pastelok said in anonline forecast.
Forecasters say there's no sign of any intrusions of Arctic air across the central or eastern U.S. for the next couple of weeks, fortunately. In fact, no additional outbreaks of severe to extreme cold are expected for the rest of the winter, according to AccuWeather long-range experts.
Weather Trader meteorologist Ryan Maue also has good news: "Heading into the final week of February — the main polar vortex cold pool reservoir remains largely locked up over Canada north of the Arctic Circle," Maue said in an e-mail to USA TODAY. "It really looks like we're turning the corner on winter − into the home stretch,"he added on Xon Feb. 11.
Snow covers the ground in northwest Oklahoma City, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. These photos captured the winter storm's aftermath from the sky." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Mesmerizing drone photos taken after winter storm show power of nature
Snow covers the ground in northwest Oklahoma City, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. These photos captured thewinter storm's aftermathfrom the sky.
What about March?
Some experts urge caution in throwing dirt on the winter yet.
Polar vortex expert Judah Cohen of MITsaid in his blog this week, "the upcoming predicted pattern flip of cold Western US and mild Eastern US is not permanent in my opinion. I expect in late February or early March the pattern to resort to the dominant pattern of the winter − mild Western US and cold Eastern US, even if briefly." He said this would be consistent with a stretched polar vortex, while it remains weak overall.
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Remember a weak or stretched polar vortex is bad news for winter weather haters in the U.S. Folks rooting for spring want a strong polar vortex that's bottled up over the Arctic.
Additionally, though, Cohen said that even if the cold returns in March, "it is important to keep in mind cold in March is very different from cold in January and snows become increasingly elevation dependent."
Pastelok, in an email to USA TODAY, also cautioned that the vortex may stretch again next month, perhaps pushing some colder air from western Canada to the eastern U.S in week two and three of March. But he added "this is very late for a disruption and the impacts again may be minimal."
Winter's impacts aren't quite over
Despite the warm up, it doesn't mean winter is entirely over, Pastelok said. "New risks will arise due to the warmup as colder, stormier conditions shift to the West," he said.
In addition, the persistent cold has caused a significant buildup of ice on streams, rivers and bays across the Northeast and Midwest, AccuWeather said. With any thaw, after an extended period of frigid conditions and buildup of ice, the potential for ice jams and ice-jam flooding will increase on non-tidal portions of the streams and rivers.
"Rising temperatures will melt snow and ice over the next few weeks, which can trigger ice jams and river flooding earlier than usual, especially along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers," Pastelok said.
What about snow?
Although the coldest air for the season is most likely over for the nation, that does not mean the worst is quite over for winter conditions, according to Pastelok. "There can be some bigger snow events that hit the upper Midwest, Great Lakes and interior Northeast for the rest of February into March," he said in an e-mail to USA TODAY.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Winter forecast has hints about Polar Vortex, spring weather
