Posted on 01/14/2024 6:58:45 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
This week’s cold snap across the U.S. will be one of “the most impressive Arctic outbreaks of this century,” one climate scientist says.
After months of record-breaking warm temperatures, much of the U.S. is facing a harsh, fast-approaching blast of frigid air from the Arctic that could plunge wind chill factors below zero degrees Fahrenheit (–18 degrees Celsius)—all close on the heels of a serious winter storm dumping snow over the Midwest and Great Lakes this weekend.
“It will be a very impressive—certainly one of the most impressive Arctic outbreaks of this century anyway,” says Judah Cohen, a climate scientist at the company Verisk Atmospheric and Environmental Research. Similar recent events have included the terrible cold snap that struck Texas in February 2021 and a sharp preholiday freeze in December 2022, Cohen notes.
Fortunately, this Arctic blast isn’t expected to be as deadly as the Texas event, which knocked out power for four million people, says Kristina Dahl, a climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, who adds that upgrades in recent years should reduce the strain that frigid air places on the power grid during this event.
To understand how this Arctic blast could affect you and what risks to prepare for, consult your local National Weather Service office. Meanwhile here’s the science behind why temperatures are suddenly plummeting so sharply across such a wide swath of North America.
Typically, very cold air in the Arctic is trapped inside a high-altitude swirl of winds called the polar vortex, which is surrounded by a lower-altitude band called the polar jet stream. If the polar vortex gets disrupted, however, the jet stream can become wavy and carry frigid air much farther south than usual in an Arctic blast. Sometimes this frigid air brings snow and ice; other times the weather is dry but bitterly cold.
Scientists are still trying to pin down precisely what causes these disruptions. “It’s a very active area of research and something that scientists are passionately debating and trying to figure out at the moment,” Dahl says. “It’s definitely not settled science.”
Still, many experts believe climate change likely plays a role—and Cohen goes even further: he contends that climate change in the Arctic is directly disrupting the polar vortex. According to Cohen, this winter’s melting sea ice near Scandinavia coupled with high snowfall near Siberia to set up a thermal contrast, which he says drove the polar jet stream into waves. The polar vortex typically “wakes up” around January, he adds, so it makes sense that we’re now feeling the sharp chill from an Arctic blast whose stage was set by these distant trends.
“It seems very counterintuitive and surprising that a warmer planet can actually increase your odds of experiencing severe winter weather events—but that’s what our research has shown,” Cohen says.
Cohen adds that he expects a second, less severe Arctic blast to occur later this month and that the phenomenon could potentially repeat into February as well.
Although science is still working to hone an explanation for polar vortex disruptions and accompanying Arctic blasts, Dahl says that she sees the irony of this incident coinciding with the U.S. government confirming that 2023 was the hottest year on record. “To me, this is indicative of a climate changed world with greater extremes,” she says.
“I like to think of these polar jet stream outbreaks as ‘global weirding,’” Dahl adds. “Climate change is causing all sorts of different impacts, and some of them are counterintuitive.”
“Well, it’s actually Global Climate Change, you see...”
Just seems like a typical winter to me. We’ve been having relatively mild Decembers and then the real winter kicks in mid January and things stay very cold for the next 6 weeks.
These weather-hoors think because people went to see “The Day After Tomorrow” that nonsense like this explanation is believable.
Joe Bastardi had predicted this in the early Fall.
I will date myself and recall an, "Alberta Clipper."
Not nearly as frightening.
When will people learn that these are just OPINIONS. Nothing more. They are probably no more valid or learned or certain than yours or mine are. The difference is that people put their lives and futures in the hands of these mere people.
We have seen record cold numbers scattered about in the last few decades amidst all the "warming".
Warmest year on record? By what consistent measure? Show me.
Some chick called La Nina.
Warmer, or colder, doesn’t matter, Verisk Atmospheric and Environmental Research will get another Federal grant.
Warmer, or colder, doesn’t matter, Verisk Atmospheric and Environmental Research will get another Federal grant.
Per Prof. Valentina Zharkova’s finding the next 30 years are going to be colder than previously. And she and her team have been studying the sun for decades.
Should be average ones...
The key word in “global warming” is “Global”. The USA makes up only 4 percent of the earth’s surface and December,2023, in the USA was warmer than normal. So maybe the global weather is changing world wide in January like the weather has changed in the USA ? Time will tell.
Here is a link with details on why 2023 is considered by many climatologists to by Earth’s hottest year since modern records were kept.
https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/01/2023-was-earths-hottest-year-on-record/
It’s called winter
The unscientific name is called “running a game”
Yeah, I remember that one, too!
WINTER !!!
Definitely called Winter.
Hi all - I seem a little late to this discussion but since I live under 1 mile east of the 95 corridor across the river from Philadelphia, I think I can add some first hand insight to the problem. We have some mildly low temperatures, NO SNOW, and the winds are not too bad.
We are gifted with having acres and acres of Solar Panel Farms over here. the surface of the panels emit temperatures at about 150 degrees when the sun is out. It is like Mother Nature’s protective wall against ultra cold and snowy weather. We get lots of rain but haven’t had snow for a couple of years.
Check out our weather and compare to what is going on around us. Have a great day.
Far as I have noticed, there have been 2 blizzards in PA in my lifetime. One in SE PA dropped more than 2ft of snow, but I was too young to play in it. In 2016, around 2ft and I was too old to play in it. Other than that it’s not that bad around here. No earthquakes, cyclones, floods, locusts, fire ants, venomous reptiles, firestorms, volcanic activity...just too many Democrats and illegals.
BINGO!
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