Polar Vortex

It looks like a bitter week here in Lake Wobegon. Oops, that's someone else's gig, but nevertheless, true.







It's all because of the polar vortex.  Polar Vortex.  What a great name. It conveys that sense of doom of a cold cyclone sweeping over you, sucking you down to the depths of -30°F.



The polar vortex is a low pressure system that circles the arctic during the winter.  It has fragmented rather than maintaining its tight counter-clockwise rotation. Normally, this tight rotation holds the drastic cold up there where it belongs. When the vortex warps, it pulls the frigid temps south, most commonly to Siberia but on occasion Minnesota falls into the cross-hairs.  So much for global warming, ay?  How wrong you are.  Always remember - weather is NOT climate.  Global warming produces more weather extremes, not just hotter hots like Australia is now experiencing but colder colds like what we in Minnesota are in for.

The warping of the vortex is caused by the warming of the arctic and the loss of ice from the region. The oceans warm and this warmth disrupts and weakens the low pressure vortex causing its dip bringing us temps that defy belief and inspiring glee from weather.com and grim hermit-like behavior from the normal rest of us.

It could be worse. I might live in Baudette.  By the way, these are actual air temps. If you throw in the 15-20 mph winds expected you get windchills in the -60's. Uffda.

Read about it in Scientific American.





Copyright © 2019 Dave Hoplin