Gallery: 'Polar vortex' hits northern USA

Related Story: States of emergency declared as storm hits eastern US Related Story: Snowstorm slams north-eastern United States

Map:  United States


A polar vortex dropped over the United States and Canada on Monday, bringing life-threatening freezing temperatures to large parts of North America.

Meteorologists predicted the lowest temperatures in two decades in some areas of the country, with the mercury at -37 degrees Celsius in the US city of Milwaukee.

Icy roads and snow storms created travel chaos, with thousands of flights cancelled or delayed.

The north-eastern US has endured heavy snow and deadly freezing conditions since the start of the year, and the extreme cold has claimed about a dozen lives nationwide.


What is a polar vortex?
Arctic air is normally penned in over the Arctic by a powerful circular wind called the polar vortex.
The bitter chill gripping North America is a result of Arctic air that has spilled southwards.
When the vortex weakens, the air starts heading southwards, bringing exceptional snow and chill to middle latitudes.
The polar vortex is the driven by the difference in air temperature between the Arctic and mid latitudes.
AFP


"The coldest weather in years will be making its presence known from the Upper Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic region for the beginning of the work week," the National Weather Service said.

Wind chill warnings were in effect from Montana to as far south as Tennessee and Alabama, with temperatures feeling as cold as -45C, it said, describing the conditions as "life threatening".

On the East Coast, a brief lull in the deep freeze greeted commuters on Monday, but temperatures were expected to drop overnight (local time).

In Milwaukee, on the shores of Lake Michigan, officials warned residents to stay indoors and urged schools to shut down.

"Police are reaching out to homeless citizens in order to help them find the nearest shelter," city spokeswoman Sarah DeRoo said.

All schools were closed in Minnesota. In Cook County in Illinois, which includes Chicago, warming centres were opened for anyone suffering, including those whose home heating did not work.

"This winter storm will be one for the record books, and we want to make sure everyone stays safe and warm until it passes," Illinois state governor Pat Quinn said.

Looks like Global Warming just suffered a little setback

i

Yes Cods, its a summer evening here in the Blue Mountains and I'm sitting here with a jumper and track suit pants on..definitely global warming at work!

Swagman wrote on Jan 7^th, 2014 at 7:43pm:

Did someone say figure fudgers.....

Anyone interested in real temperature data, you know, not the homogonised fraud from the AGW loons. Take a look at the link below at the true temperature data

Original Temperatures: Summary

http://hidethedecline.eu/pages/posts/original-temperatures-summary-279.php

Original Temperatures: Introduction

http://hidethedecline.eu/pages/posts/original-temperatures-introduction-267.php

The rest at
http://hidethedecline.eu/

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/01/06/the-original-temperatures-project

All Gore's Top 10 Idiotic Quotes

it_is_the_light wrote on Jan 7^th, 2014 at 9:05pm:


Quite funny....so was the reporter confusing the Arctic for the ANTarctic.

red baron wrote on Jan 7^th, 2014 at 6:22pm:




have a friend down Near Warrnambool.Vic said she has her fire going.. the wind is freezing.. it is January isnt it?  lol.. but dont tell the DOOM AND GLOOM mob..we did have a couple of really hot day in ACT over 30..that was probably CLIMATE today much nice 25 I think we call that weather...

Im not sure anymore.. but its back to the blanket on the bed at night...and as far as I know we are nowhere near the northern hemisphere.

I still say its Mother Nature taking the pizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Polar Vortex - for DUMMIES !

Researchers told Climate Central that

the weather pattern driving the extreme cold into the U.S. — with a weaker polar vortex moving around the Arctic like a slowing spinning top, eventually falling over and blowing open the door to the Arctic freezer

— fits with other recently observed instances of unusual fall and wintertime jet stream configurations.

Such weather patterns, which can feature relatively mild conditions in the Arctic at the same time dangerously cold conditions exist in vast parts of the lower 48, may be tied to the rapid warming and loss of sea ice in the Arctic due, in part, to manmade climate change.

Arctic warming is altering the heat balance between the North Pole and the equator, which is what drives the strong current of upper level winds in the northern hemisphere commonly known as the jet stream. Some studies show that if that balance is altered then some types of extreme weather events become more likely to occur.

During the past week, while much of North America has seen frigid temperatures, weather maps show a strip of orange and red hues,

indicating above-average temperatures, across parts of the Arctic, Scandinavia, Europe and Asia.

( ... if you kept up with THAT, try a bit MORE)

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/polar-vortex-in-u.s.-may-be-valid-example-of-...