Judah Cohen, a climate scientist at Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER), told us: CBS News reached out to two leading climate scientists for comment about whether or not a portion of the recent Arctic outbreaks can be traced to climate change. It should be noted that this theory is relatively new and there is a lot of debate in the climate science community about the extent to which such a connection exists. Essentially, it suggests climate change can contribute to a more extreme, wavy jet stream, hurling cold air masses farther south. You might think of it as a once tight-knit circulation unraveling, slinging pieces of cold air outward.Įvidence for this was presented in a research paper published in the Journal of the American Meteorological Society. When warm air invades the Arctic Circle, it weakens the polar vortex, displacing cold air masses southward into Europe, Asia and the United States. This " Arctic Amplification" is especially pronounced in winter. Overall, Earth is warming due to climate change, but areas near the North Pole are warming more than 2 times faster than the rest of the globe. Instead of the cold air bleeding south a little at a time, it's coming all at once. This week's particularly cold outbreak may be explained by the relative lack of cold air so far this winter in the eastern U.S. Often during winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the polar vortex will become less stable and expand, sending cold Arctic air southward over the United States with the jet stream (right globe). The term vortex refers to the counter-clockwise flow of air that helps keep the colder air close to the poles (left globe). The polar vortex is a large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding the Earth's North and South poles. It usually stays closer to the poles but sometimes breaks apart, sending chunks of Arctic air southward into the U.S.
It's a whirling mass of cold air circulating in the mid- to upper-levels of the atmosphere, present every winter. The frigid air will come from a brief visit by the polar vortex - which is a real meteorological phenomenon, not just a sensational headline. Here's what you need to know about the polar vortex behind the deep freeze. Some 100 million people will experience temperatures near or below zero.
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When high pressure builds into the Arctic Circle, the polar vortex is pushed south and away from the pole, giving it an opportunity to sink into the United States.Īs the polar vortex encroaches upon your area, be prepared for an arctic chill.Forecasters say millions of people in the Midwest and Great Lakes will see record-shattering wind chills from 40 to 65 degrees below zero this week - cold so extreme it could cause frostbite on exposed skin in five minutes or less. During the wintertime, as a polar cortex comes southward into central Canada, it can deliver cold air all the way down toward the Gulf Coast."
"Because it starts over the polar regions, it has arctic air. "A polar vortex is simply that: a vortex that originates over the polar regions," according to AccuWeather meteorologist Bernie Rayno. It's already a lot to endure frigid winter conditions, but what happens when we get an unwelcome visit from an even colder spell of air like a polar vortex? What is a polar vortex? Just what it sounds like: a vortex that originates over the polar regions.
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