Southern Ontario, Quebec get ready for big freeze as the polar vortex returns

If residents of southern Ontario and Quebec happen to be feeling a touch of spring in the air right now, don't be fooled. The polar vortex is swinging through again next week, to remind us that we aren't escaping from winter just yet!

First off, let's see a show of hands ... who's sick of the polar vortex (either the term itself or the blasts of frigid air it pulls down upon us)? Very likely, plenty of hands shot up in response to that question. Well, unfortunately, neither the term (which has been around for over 150 years), nor the vortex itself (which has been around for a lot longer) are going away anytime soon, and it's already making another pass across the country.

[ Related: ‘Polar vortex’ hitting Canada, U.S. with brutal, bone-chilling cold ]

Saskatchewan and Manitoba are already back in the deep freeze today (and it's spilling over into Alberta and northwestern Ontario too). The same storm that dumped heavy snow, freezing rain and rain on Ontario and Quebec over the past day had given the prairie provinces a bit of a respite from the cold earlier this week. As the storm tracked to the east, though, the bitterly cold winds flowing down from the north behind it plunged temperatures down to as low as -30 C across the prairies this morning, and wind chills were reported down near -40. This same cold is expected to stick around there for at least the next week.

As for southern Ontario and Quebec, there's another day or so of mild weather left before these same frigid winds blast down over the region. As early as Sunday night temperatures are headed towards the negative double-digits, and they're expected to creep steadily lower through the week. Hopefully the rains from last night and today will have a chance of draining away before then or the cold may form the world's largest skating rink between Windsor and Quebec City. The Maritimes are getting a taste of the warmer weather too today, and for the next few days, but the same cold winds will be chasing away that warmth later in the week.

[ More Geekquinox: Satellite images show just how bad the 'polar vortex' got ]

So, when can we finally say good-bye to the polar vortex for this year?

Well, the large-scale weather pattern that typically holds the most sway over the vortex is called the Arctic Oscillation. Unlike some other large-scale weather patterns that affect our weather, which can take months to change from one 'phase' to the other, the Arctic Oscillation can change over just a few days. Since the beginning of the year, it's changed phase a dozen times, causing three major outbreaks of cold over North America (and a bunch of minor ones too). The last few switches haven't been as extreme, so hopefully it'll settle down and we can finish off winter on a slightly less dramatic note. Honestly, though, I wouldn't count on it.

(Photos courtesy CBC/NASA-JPL)

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