The term is most commonly employed by the news media when such a frigid air mass moves into the northern plains or upper Midwest.
Meteorologically, it is typically associated with a phenomenon called the Pacific–North American teleconnection pattern (PNA).
"Siberian Express" was the nickname coined by a meteorologist to describe the January 17, 1982 cold wave event hitting much of the United States.
[1] Also called "Cold Sunday", the event broke many all-time record lows.
The frozen Arctic Ocean produced the frigid air for the "Siberian Express", the high-pressure system in Siberia which was southward blocked by the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau, that transported the air down into North America.