It's like "bomb cyclone" or "firenado." It seems like the sort of phenomenon that would be responsible for the record-breaking blast of cold, snow and wintry conditions that reached all the way to the Gulf Coast this week.

A polar vortex dipping down from Siberia is bringing a cold front with frigid temperatures to millions Americans. See maps of the arctic blast.

An Arctic blast that began in the northern plains on Saturday spread bitter cold from the Rockies through the East Coast and as far south as Florida by Tuesday morning. A blizzard warning was in effect for southern Louisiana, the furthest south such a warning has ever been posted.

How the Polar Vortex Can Bring Arctic Blasts to the U.S. Vast weather patterns can carry blasts of frigid air far from the polar regions—here’s how it works

The polar vortex, a swirling mass of cold air located over the polar regions, is responsible for the cold. COLUMBUS, Ohio — An Arctic blast arrived in central Ohio on Monday, bringing with it the coldest air that central Ohio has felt in more than two years.

A series of disturbances in the atmosphere is sending the polar vortex south (again) next week with a burst of even colder Arctic air than last week.