Just as you were safe to put your winter coat away... another arctic blast is set to freeze the country this week after East Coast basked in warmer temperatures

• Several storms of varying strength are due to pass through
• Cold air will return in stages late this weekend and last until the end of next week
• Several storms will arise that could also bring snow
• Polar vortex expected to arrive later in the week
• Potential for more travel and school disruptions

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 11:42 EST, 23 February 2014 | Updated: 07:37 EST, 24 February 2014

The polar vortex is once again expected to plunge much of the U.S. into freezing temperatures early next week.

Cities from New York to Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit and Washington, D.C. which have been enjoying temperatures in the 50s this past weekend are expected to drop as low 20 to 35 degrees below normal.

The Midwest and North East are thawing out after being covered with more than a foot of snow over the past week, but forecasters have warned it won't be for long as another cold front is on its way.

Cold comfort: The return to cold weather next week will be anything but straight forward as several storms of various strength and track will swing through

Snowy outlook: The best opportunity for the snow to accumulate a coating to an inch--outside of the West Virginia mountains--will be north and west of Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City. This snow band will then run south of Boston

Spring for a day: Young men gathered to play basketball in Virginia on Saturday, lured outside by the day's warm winter weather

Shivering spring: Cold air will return in stages late this weekend and last into the end of next week

Snow escape: A 6 to 10 day forecast shows a swathe of cold temperatures expected to hit the country next week - with the Midwest, South and East expected to get temperatures colder than normal

The eastern two-thirds of the U.S is expected to see below-average temperatures next week, after January averages were found to have been well below normal according to a to a monthly climate report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The projected cold spell comes from the northern polar vortex, a high-altitude flow of air that circles west to east above the North Pole.

As global temperatures have risen, the difference in temperature between the Arctic and lower latitudes has shrunk, causing the vortex to become 'wavier,' John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said in a YouTube video following similarly cold temperatures last month.

A forecast from NOAA also reveals a swathe of cold temperatures starting in the Midwest on Tuesday and stretching south and to the coast - where the mercury is expected to plummet to temperatures below average, while a higher than average amount of rain is also due.

Frosty forecast: The coldest air will settle in late in the week as the polar vortex is forecast to take another southward dip

Snow joke: The first potential snow event appears to be a minor one with a general coating to an inch or two within its reach. Some locations may get just flurries

'Temperatures 20°F below normal will likely invade the Upper Midwest on Sunday, and gradually spread southeastwards during the week,' Dr Jeff Masters of the Weather Underground said.

'The peak cold is predicted to occur late next week, with temperatures 20 - 35° below normal covering much of the eastern 2/3 of the country.'

Ten-day forecasts by Weather.com show that temperatures will stay below freezing, with Embarrass, Minnesota enduring lows of -29F next Friday.

And it won't be over quickly as forecaster predict that the best chance of snow is believed to be between February 26 and March 3, as temperatures on the East Coast remain at least 15 degrees below normal, Philly.com reported.

Here we go again: An image taken in January in Detroit, Michigan shows a homeowner shoveling snow in scenes that are expected to continue for the rest of the month following a brief thaw in the Midwest

Brutal: Another file image shows a man battling cold temperatures in Michigan. This weekend, temperatures around 20 F below normal are expected to creep into the area

Winter continues: A third system Tuesday night and Wednesday appears to be the strongest of the bunch through midweek

Cold ahead: A March forecast shows temperatures will remain below normal in the Midwest for the month

It will come as yet more grief for the Midwest, southern and eastern areas of the country, which has been battered with grueling weather while the West largely suffers from droughts.

The relentless snow and ice storms this season have been connected to scores of traffic-related deaths and have led to the highest number of flight cancellations in more than 25 years.

U.S. airlines have canceled more than 75,000 domestic flights since December 1, including roughly 14,000 last week - the highest total number and highest percent of cancellations since at least the winter of 1987-1988, when records began.