what causes a polar vortex

This significant change in temperature leads those normally strong winds of the polar jet stream to slow down, and, in extreme cases, even change direction. Sometimes this low-pressure system, full of arctic air, can weaken and travel from its usual position. If you’re in the midwest, hopefully you’re already set at home, and don’t have any plans to go outside if you could avoid it. When they’re extremely weak, they can fragment, and some of that low pressure, low temperature air can begin to interact with the higher pressure, higher temperature air from outside the polar regions.”. It's also important to be aware of the signs of frostbite and hypothermia. Polar Vortex: 2,400 Cold Temperature Records Broken A polar vortex is a persistent, large-scale, upper-level low-pressure area, less than 620 miles in diameter, that rotates counter-clockwise at the North Pole and clockwise at the South Pole. Areas as far south as Florida may experience arctic weather as a result. This animation shows the cold air of a polar vortex blowing south from central Canada into the U.S. Midwest in January 2019. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech AIRS Project. Although a polar vortex can be pushed south, it typically remains parked in polar regions. The Arctic Oscillation describes simultaneous, geographically “choreographed” shifts in multiple features of the polar vortex: air pressure, temperature, and the location and strength of the jet stream. A polar vortex is a persistent, large-scale, upper-level low-pressure area, less than 620 miles in diameter, that rotates counter-clockwise at the North Pole and clockwise at the South Pole. This is commonly referred to as a Polar Outbreak. This occurs fairly regularly during wintertime and is often associated with large outbreaks of Arctic air in the United States.” In simpler terms, this is a low-pressure system that locks in bitter cold air from the arctic; when the vortex becomes distorted — like it currently is — it can dip much further south into the Northern Hemisphere than you’d expect to find it, bringing its icy temperatures and brutal wind along with it. These extremes also affect how the vortex can distort, and bring extreme temperatures south. They all follow the hemisphere-wide oscillation of atmospheric mass back and forth between the Arctic and the middle latitudes, sort of like water sloshing in a bowl. When high-pressure systems get in its way, a collection of cold air pushes south, along with the rest of the polar vortex system. The stratospheric and tropospheric polar vortices both rotate in the direction of the Earth's spin, but they are distinct phenomena that have different sizes, structures, seasonal cycles, a… A warmer Earth makes sudden stratospheric warming events more frequent.”. According to the National Weather Service, “The polar vortex is a large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding both of the Earth’s poles. Scientists have said that higher temperatures in the Arctic have led to historically low levels of ice there and that this, in turn, has caused changes in the jet stream, … Sometimes in the winter, the Arctic stratosphere will heat up through an event known as a Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW). Many times during winter in the northern hemisphere, the polar vortex will expand, sending cold air southward with the jet stream. He continued, adding that when the vortex at the north pole becomes very weak, the high pressure zones in the middle latitudes of Each can push towards the poles, displacing the cold air. Because the polar vortex isn’t a single storm — like a hurricane or tornado — the effects can last much longer and be much more widely spread than a single storm. “The fact that there are land masses located where they are in the Northern Hemisphere means that as those land temperatures increase, they transport their heat to even more northern latitudes… Warmer land temperatures, particularly in northern North America and northern Eurasia, allow more heat to be transported into the Arctic stratosphere. The polar vortex, which can cause frigid weather, is an area of low pressure and cold air that swirls around Earth's North and South Poles. When the low-pressure system is strong and healthy, it keeps the jet stream traveling around Earth in a circular path. A weather condition called a Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW for rest of article) is forecast to occur in the next week. The weakened low-pressure system and a compromised jet stream can even cause a polar vortex to split, where the primary vortex is broken down into smaller vortices, and each piece can move in different directions. As this system weakens, part of the polar vortex can break off and migrate south, bringing plenty of cold air with it. This breaking-off process is what causes a polar vortex. Exclusive look inside the US supersonic presidential jet. The Polar Vortex. Did the polar vortex cause Niagara Falls to freeze over? Areas as far south as Florida may experience arctic weather as a result. A weakened polar vortex (right, from January 2014) allows cold air to dip farther south. Without that strong low-pressure system, the jet stream does not have enough force to maintain its usual path. But what exactly is a polar vortex? A polar vortex is an area of low pressure and cold air that surrounds both of Earth's poles. As CNN explained, “The upper-level winds that make up the polar vortex change in intensity from time to time. When the vortices are at their strongest, you get a single cell, and the air is extremely well-confined. It develops as the sun sets over the polar region and temperatures cool. Normally, these vortices are stable enough, as temperature and pressure differences are severe enough, to keep them in place throughout the year. And it’s all related to global warming, as counterintuitive as it may sound. This helps scientists make predictions about severe weather, like polar vortexes. That high pressure would strengthen during a strong period … All Rights Reserved. This causes the polar jet stream to meander north and south instead of making a beeline around the planet. This oscillation is known as the Arctic Oscillation and it can switch from a positive phase to negative phase a few times per year. As the National Weather Service explained, polar vortices always exist — year-round — in the poles; the problem arises when the system distorts and brings the arctic temperatures further south than it would normally be found. But, it is important to remember that not all cold weather is the result of a polar vortex. As this system weakens, part of the polar vortex can break off and migrate south, bringing plenty of cold air with it. In addition to your own personal health, there are also several steps you can take to make sure that your home and car are adequately prepared to handle the sub-zero temperatures, such as draining your outdoor hoses and insulating your pipes at home. A polar vortex is a low pressure area—a wide expanse of swirling cold air—that is parked in polar regions. The vortex at the North Pole expands in winter, sending cold air south. It takes pretty unusual conditions for the vortex to weaken or migrate far south. As CNN explained, “The upper-level winds that make up the polar vortex change in intensity from time to time. Polar vortexes are not rare in the United States. As a climatology non-expert it seems to me (and using Occam’s razor), the proximal cause of the Polar Vortex displacement is the Bering Sea High (BSH) shown in the GFS 10-hPa Height Analysis (above).

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