"Just like in your house when you fill a bathtub full of water and [open] the drain, it will develop a vortex or whirlpool," BJ Parkey, assistant lake manager at Lake Texoma, told Business Insider.

The D.C. area is wrapped up in a polar vortex, and this cold weather can wreak havoc on your plumbing if you’re unprepared. These extremely cold temperatures can freeze and burst a water pipe in ...