Washington: Much of America is about to get the Arctic shivers.

Meteorologists are forecasting frigid polar air will plunge much of the central and eastern U.S. into sub-freezing temperatures next week.

National Weather Service meteorologist Paul Kocin, an expert on winter storms, said it is a classic pattern of massive blasts of Arctic air hitting just about everyone east of the Rockies. He said it will rival last year's January Arctic outbreak that introduced the phrase "polar vortex" to America.

"This is going to be a big cold outbreak, pretty windy as well," Kocin said. "It's going to drive all the way down south."

Kocin predicts a small midwestern band of intense snow along with the cold, with some also in parts of the Northeast.

Even though it is several days in advance, meteorologists are pretty sure about this forecast. Kocin said many of the best computer models are saying the same thing.

This is all coming from cold air escaping from the Arctic. The centre of the cold air will be around Quebec, Canada.