The polar vortex could be back as soon as next week after a three-year hiatus, ready to bring record-low temperatures to much of North America, according to forecasters.

As shown by weather maps and forecast models, there are similarities between the last polar vortex in 2014 and with weather patterns expected next week.

"Upper-level atmosphere configuration very similar in scale & magnitude as infamous Jan 2014 #PolarVortex popularized by me and @afreedma," meteorologist Ryan Maue said on Twitter.

In 2014, the Midwest saw its coldest weather in two decades, which lasted until March. Roads were iced over, thousands of flights were canceled or delayed. Wind chills as low as minus 51 degrees celsius (60 degrees below Fahrenheit) killed at least nine people. Farmers struggled to keep their cattle alive, while others worried about their crops. In Newfoundland, Canada, a power outage hit 90,000 homes in January 2014.

Extremely cold weather is expected again in the Midwest and Northeast on Tuesday. Temperatures are anticipated to drop by between five and 20 degrees, compared to this week.

While Chicago is bracing for temperatures in the teens, other cities will be hit by single digits.

"The air mass on the way for the middle of December is likely to be substantially colder when compared to that of this past week and this weekend," AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok said.

In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast Show all 30 1 /30 In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA An AAA emergency technician assists a motorist on Bidwell Avenue in Buffalo, New York In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Ice forms on the shore of the East River due to unusually low temperatures caused by a Polar Vortex in New York In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A man braves the cold and walks along the shore of Lake Michigan as temperatures remain in the negative digits in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A 'polar vortex' of frigid air centered on the North Pole dropped temperatures to the negative double digits at its worst In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Snow is piled high along the street outside the front of a home in Indianapolis, Indiana. A deadly blast of arctic air shattered decades-old temperature records as it enveloped the eastern United States, canceling thousands of flights, driving energy prices higher and overwhelming shelters for homeless people In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Jennifer Berry watches the sunset from a lifeguard chair at a beach on Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis. Shortly after daybreak in the Twin Cities, thermometers had inched their way up to anywhere from 8 to 13 below zero In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Ice builds up along Lake Michigan at North Avenue Beach in Chicago, Illinois In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Chicago hit a record low of -16 degree Fahrenheit this morning as a polar air mass brought the coldest temperatures in about two decades into the city In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Ice builds up along Lake Michigan as temperatures dipped well below zero in Chicago, Illinois In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Clouds of steam rise from the Mississippi river during -14 Degrees Fahrenheit (-25 degrees Celsius) weather, in Minneapolis, Minnesota In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A view of the War Memorial in Indianapolis, Indiana. According to news reports, Indianapolis received about 30 centimeters of snow and the morning temperature was -9 degrees Celsius In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A horse drinks water from a hole in a frozen water tank in Enid, Oklahoma. Record low temperatures were set in at least two Oklahoma cities as a frigid front moved into the state In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Ron, a bison at Brookfield Zoo, is covered in snow and doesn't seemed phased by the frigid temperatures or snow blowing through the Chicago area. The zoo was closed due to the snowstorm and sub-zero temperatures In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A woman walks through a gust of blowing snow in frigid cold temperatures though downtown Chicago, Illinois. A blast of Arctic air gripped the mid-section of the United States, bringing the coldest temperatures in two decades In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Washburn High School's information board reads -14 Degrees Fahrenheit (-25 degrees Celsius), in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Schools in the area were closed due to the severe weather In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Patrick O'Brien dressed up in a Spiderman superhero outfit goes for a run in -25 degrees Celsius weather, in Minneapolis, Minnesota In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Snow is piled up high in front of Home Depot in the South Bay shopping center after a two day winter storm in Boston, Massachusetts In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A man wears a face mask and heavy clothes while walking through downtown Springfield, in blowing and falling snow as a strong winter storm moves through the Midwest. Temperatures not seen in years are likely to set records in the coming days across the Midwest, Northeast and South, creating dangerous travel conditions and prompting church and school closures In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A city snow plow clears a street of snow in an almost deserted downtown as strong winds and snow move through the Midwest in Springfield In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A man prepares to remove his plow stuck in a snow bank as snow and wind swirls in St. Louis In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A Delta airlines plane is seen taking off while the fleets other planes sit on the tarmac at JFK Airport, New York In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Four homeless men warm themselves on a steam grate by the Federal Trade Commission, blocks from the Capitol, during frigid temperatures in Washington. A winter storm that swept across the Midwest this week blew through the Northeast, leaving bone-chilling cold in its wake In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Nicholas Simmons warms himself on a steam grate with three homeless men by the Federal Trade Commission, just blocks from the Capitol, during frigid temperatures in Washington In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA New York City Department of Parks & Recreation employees clear out snow from Carl Schurz Park after an overnight storm dropped up to 7 inches of snow in New York City. The Northeast and Midwest regions of the United States were hit with a large amount of snowfall accompanied by blizzard-like winds and plummeting temperatures this week In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A man falls while slipping on ice during freezing rain on Roosevelt Island, a borough of Manhattan in New York In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA A couple walks through the winter white-out on Swan Avenue in Webster Groves In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Few cars drive on Interstate 44 in Fenton. Snow-covered roads and high winds were creating dangerous driving conditions from Missouri to Delaware ahead of a 'polar vortex' that'll bring below-zero temperatures not seen in years to much of the nation in the coming days In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA People carry bundles of warm weather wraps as they arrive outside Lambeau Field before the start of the NFL Wild Card playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wisconsin In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA Joe (R) and Rick (L) Pecki wait for the gates to open outside Lambeau Field before the start of the NFL Wild Card playoff game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Temperatures are around 5 degrees (-15 C) and are expected to go lower throughout the next few days In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA An icy tennis ball was no deterrent for Laura Jorgensen's dog Wilber while they played in a dog park in sub-zero weather as the midwest braces for the coldest temperatures in nearly twenty years to arrive in later today in Minneapolis, Minnesota In pictures: 'Polar vortex' hits US Midwest and Northeast USA James Schlafer and his wife Diana Schlafer of Minneapolis went for their daily four to five mile walk in sub-zero temps as the midwest braces for the coldest temperatures in nearly twenty years to arrive in later today in Minneapolis, Minnesota

As for weather beyond next week, cold weather could last into the spring. According to an October study, published in the journal Nature, the polar vortex in February has moved towards Europe and Asia over the last three decades, meaning very cold days in the US are more common in February and March. The study found the change was likely related to the loss of Arctic sea-ice loss, but could also be due to increased snow cover in the Eurasian continent.

During the last vortex, every state in the US saw temperatures dip below 32 degrees fahrenheit in the beginning of January 2014, even in Hawaii.

Vortexes are fairly common, happening three times in the 1980s.

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Defined by the National Weather Service, a polar vortex is a large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding both of the Earth’s poles. It always exists, but weakens in the summer and gets stronger in the winter.

The "vortex" part refers to the counter-clockwise flow of air that keeps the colder air near the Pole.

"When the polar vortex is strongest, you're less likely to see cold air plunge deep into North America or Europe. Occasionally, though, the polar vortex is disrupted and weakens. This happens when the stratosphere warms," according to weather.com.