What is a polar vortex, the weather event causing winter storms in the US?
3 days, 18 hours ago

What is a polar vortex, the weather event causing winter storms in the US?

Al Jazeera  

The expanding of the polar vortex – an area of cold air around the Arctic – southwards is causing cold spells in the US. The rising warm air from the lower atmosphere weakens the polar vortex, allowing it to sp Both types of polar vortexes are important for global atmospheric circulation and climate regulation. The 2013-14 polar vortex resulted in record-shattering cold and snowfall which swept across Canada and the eastern US, plunging the regions into one of their coldest winters. The North Pole is warming faster than other places, which weakens the polar vortex and the jet stream – a fast-flowing air current in the atmosphere.

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History of this topic

Polar vortex brings its bitter cold to the Southern U.S.
1 day, 11 hours ago

Polar vortex brings its bitter cold to the Southern U.S.

The Hindu  

The plunging polar vortex brought subfreezing temperatures Tuesday to some of the southernmost points of the U.S., threatening to dump snow on parts of Texas and Oklahoma in coming days and contributing to a power outage in Virginia's capital that made the water unsafe to drink. A low-pressure system was expected to form as soon as Wednesday near South Texas, …

Why more frequent cold blasts could be coming from global warming
2 days, 5 hours ago

Why more frequent cold blasts could be coming from global warming

Associated Press  

Frigid air that normally stays trapped in the Arctic has escaped, plunging deep into the United States for an extended visit that is expected to provoke teeth-chattering but not be record-shattering. We’re talking 12 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit across a large portion of the eastern half of the country.” The worst will be in areas that just got hit with …

Polar Vortex Keeps Much Of The U.S. In Its Icy Grip
3 days, 8 hours ago

Polar Vortex Keeps Much Of The U.S. In Its Icy Grip

Huff Post  

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - JANUARY 6: People walk through Central Park during heavy snowfall in New York, United States, on January 6, 2025. — A huge swath of the U.S. was blasted with ice, snow and wind on Monday as the polar vortex that dipped south over the weekend kept much of the country east of the Rockies in …

Winter Storm Alert: Midwest to face snow, ice, and heavy rain this weekend
1 week ago

Winter Storm Alert: Midwest to face snow, ice, and heavy rain this weekend

India Today  

This week brings a blast of icy Arctic air into the Eastern United States, with temperatures and a stretch of cold weather expected to drop. Experts warn millions might face dangerous winter conditions that will last well into next week. Snow and Wind Chill Risks It might snow in so many regions - including the southern Plains, Southeast, Appalachian Mountains, …

First polar vortex of 2025 will bring dangerously frosty temperatures for millions of Americans
1 week, 2 days ago

First polar vortex of 2025 will bring dangerously frosty temperatures for millions of Americans

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The polar vortex will bring Arctic air across the country The cold may be so extreme that “this could …

US in deep freeze while much of the world is extra toasty? Yet again, it’s climate change
11 months, 3 weeks ago

US in deep freeze while much of the world is extra toasty? Yet again, it’s climate change

Associated Press  

Much of the United States is shivering through brutal cold as most of the rest of the world is feeling unusually warm weather. “When the Arctic is off-the-charts warm, we’re more likely to see frigid cold invade places like Texas that are ill-equipped to deal with it,” said Jennifer Francis, a Woodwell Research Center climate scientist and a pioneer in …

What is the ‘Arctic blast’ deep-freezing the US and Canada?
1 year, 11 months ago

What is the ‘Arctic blast’ deep-freezing the US and Canada?

Al Jazeera  

Recent temperatures of minus 78 degrees Celsius are reportedly the lowest ever recorded in the United States. A dangerous combination of record-setting cold temperatures and powerful winds buffeted the northeastern United States and Canada over the weekend, creating life-threatening conditions and wind-chills from the Arctic blast. An Arctic blast is defined by the US National Weather Service as when “very …

What is a polar vortex? Weather forecast UK 2023
1 year, 11 months ago

What is a polar vortex? Weather forecast UK 2023

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Forecasters have warned a “polar vortex” – the phenomenon that …

'It's frosty outside': How the polar vortex brought bitter cold to Asia this January
1 year, 11 months ago

'It's frosty outside': How the polar vortex brought bitter cold to Asia this January

Firstpost  

Mohe, China’s northernmost city, recorded a temperature of minus 63.4 degrees Fahrenheit _ this week. ‘The Rails of a Roller Coaster’ Scientists say Asia’s extreme cold is largely the result of the so-called polar vortex, the same weather phenomenon that brought exceptionally cold weather to the United States last month. “So if this program doesn’t function as it’s supposed to, …

What is the link between winter storms and global warming?
2 years ago

What is the link between winter storms and global warming?

The Hindu  

The world is getting warmer, winters included. The United States, however, has experienced severe winter storms in recent years, and experts are taking a closer look at the link between these extreme cold events and climate change. Even so, "there are certain aspects of winter storms where the climate change linkages are fairly strong and robust," Michael Mann, a climatologist …

Global warming actually causing colder winters because its making polar vortex stretch south into US
3 years, 4 months ago

Global warming actually causing colder winters because its making polar vortex stretch south into US

Daily Mail  

Climate change is often associated with the Earth getting hotter, but a rise in greenhouse gasses is leading to chillier winters in the U.S. and Europe, according to scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Abnormal warming in the poles creates excess energy that causes the polar vortex phenomenon to weaken and split off into smaller 'sister' vortices that travel …

Study: Warmer Arctic led to killer cold in Texas, much of US
3 years, 4 months ago

Study: Warmer Arctic led to killer cold in Texas, much of US

Associated Press  

Warming of the Arctic caused by climate change has increased the number of polar vortex outbreaks, when frigid air from the far north bathes the central and eastern United States in killer cold, a study finds. “It is counterintuitive that a rapidly warming Arctic can lead to an increase in extreme cold in a place as far south as Texas, …

How the potent polar vortex brings Arctic's frigid weather, winter storms to mainland USA
3 years, 10 months ago

How the potent polar vortex brings Arctic's frigid weather, winter storms to mainland USA

Firstpost  

It’s as if the world has been turned upside-down, or at least its weather. Record cold also hit Europe this winter, earning the name the “Beast from the East.” “We’ve had everything you could possibly think of in the past week,” said Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini, noting that parts of the U.S. have been 50 degrees colder …

Polar vortex 2021: Startling numbers reveal the rarity of the frigid temperatures across much of the US
3 years, 10 months ago

Polar vortex 2021: Startling numbers reveal the rarity of the frigid temperatures across much of the US

CNN  

CNN — A historic cold outbreak has led in the coldest air in decades across the United States, reaching all the way to the Rio Grande and bringing record amounts of snow and ice to the Deep South. Extreme cold yet a record high There was a 130-degree spread in temperatures across the US yesterday, from 90 degrees in Florida …

Spring Snow Forecast For Northeast As Polar Vortex Arrives From Canada
4 years, 8 months ago

Spring Snow Forecast For Northeast As Polar Vortex Arrives From Canada

NPR  

Spring Snow Forecast For Northeast As Polar Vortex Arrives From Canada toggle caption National Weather Service A late-season polar vortex is headed for the northeastern United States, bringing with it snow and perhaps record low temperatures for the Mother's Day weekend, according to the National Weather Service. The frigid Canadian air is being dragged south by a low-pressure system now …

Warnings of severe cold return for Canada and US
5 years, 10 months ago

Warnings of severe cold return for Canada and US

Al Jazeera  

This year’s polar vortex hasn’t gone away yet and the centre of North America now adds windchill to the Arctic cold. Warnings have been issued of severe cold in central Canada and some northern US states, as windchill figures of -40 degrees Celsius in Alberta and nearly -50C in Montana were quoted. The term polar vortex is sometimes bandied about …

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