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Meteorologists Forecast Polar Plunge For Tri-State Area Next Week

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Get ready for a summer time chill in the air.

A polar plunge is headed to the Tri-State area -- frigid air from the North Pole.

As CBS 2's Vanessa Murdock reported, the colder temperatures are expected next Wednesday and Thursday due to a jet stream that will take a huge dip into the eastern United States.

The jet stream dip will create what meteorologists call a trough, and allow relatively cold air originating near the North Pole to travel south, moving from Alaska's Gulf to the Great Lakes, then slowly slide into the East Coast.

While some say summer is simply the best time of year, others told Murdock they're looking forward to relief from the heat.

"Sounds good. Cool down the summer a little bit here in New York," said Midtown resident Robert Plotccyk.

"Oh that'll be nice, that'll be very nice. I like cooler weather. To be able to walk around and not sweat all day long, it's a wonderful thing," said Charlene Ford.

Temperatures across the eastern U.S. will be roughly 10 to as much as 30 degrees below average. The Midwest will be especially cool with temperatures potentially dropping into the 50s and 60s, Murdock reported.

In the Tri-State area, highs may top out in the 70s, about 10 degrees below the normal for this time of year.

Not everyone Murdock spoke to was on board with the summertime slide.

"I like summer and I like the heat, so I don't want it to get too cool," said West Side resident Judy Barbarino.

"I don't want it to be cold yet. Six months of cold we just finished. It cracks me up when people say it's too warm. I say 'ha, you forgot,'" said West Side resident Joel Ehrlich.

This time last year, New York was in the throes of a heat wave. Now, in mid-July -- typically the hottest time of the summer -- it may feel more like mid-September and that, some say, is just fine.

"Hot or cold, as long as it doesn't get freezing cold, then I think we're all good," said Erica Stovall.

Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest coast is bracing for a heat wave and likely record highs in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington.

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