What Is The Polar Vortex And Why Is It Doing This To Us?

[Agnosticsherbet]

What Is The Polar Vortex And Why Is It Doing This To Us?
High-pressure systems over Alaska and Greenland, Samenow added, are "allowing the jet stream to dive south over the U.S. and also for this polar vortex to drop south with the jet stream."

For a more visual image of what's happening, though, we suggest an analogy offered by science writer Andrew Freedman, who spoke with Morning Edition's David Greene.

"This is air that is circulating the Arctic," Freedman said. "In the last couple of days, it's sort of become lopsided — sort of like a figure skater that has extended their arms and then tripped.

"You know, when a figure skater pulls their arms in, they spin tighter and tighter and faster and faster. But when they put their arms out, they are a little bit slower and a little bit more wobbly and more prone to fall or stop skating at the end of their routine.

"What's happening now is that a piece of it is down on the other side of the globe, but a piece of it kind of got lopsided and came down on top of us."

Great explanation with good links. Yes, the vortex appears to be a child of global warming.

[FSogol]

1. The "vortex appears to be a child of global warming," so Al Nino is the Uncle?

[Tree-Hugger]

2. Nitpick

The Polar Vortex itself is not a child of global warming. It always exists and has always existed. There have been times in history that a piece has traveled far South, such as we're seeing this week. What may be the child of global warming is the frequency of it becoming lopsided or having a part of it travel South. That remains to be seen in the future. Unfortunately, I think will become a more than "once every decade or few decades" event.

[spanone]

3. 'polar vortex' it's a term ron burgundy made up.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. It is a train that takes you to santa claus.

[mindwalker_i]

5. An article on NewScientist argues the polar vortex is normal

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24824-us-freeze-is-nothing-to-do-with-a-polar-vortex.html

I don't know whether the author was aware of the vortex being lopsided or anything like that, and frankly, I have a certain desire to see evidence of global climate change be undeniable, and that desire makes me somewhat less fit to have an unbiased opinion.

That said, more extreme weather is what's supposed to happen due to climate change, and this is kind of extreme. Put it together with Australia (see the Rude Pundit for that one), and I'd really just like tosee it become normal to punch climate change deniers in the mouth (see Borowitz for that one).