'Polar vortex' to blast frigid air over much of US
Source: AP-Excite
By CARSON WALKER
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - The weather warnings are dire: Life threatening wind chills. Historic cold outbreak.
Winter is normally cold, but starting Sunday tundra-like temperatures are poised to deliver a rare and potentially dangerous sledgehammer blow to much of the Midwest, driving temperatures so far below zero that records will shatter.
One reason? A "polar vortex," as one meteorologist calls it, which will send cold air piled up at the North Pole down to the U.S., funneling it as far south as the Gulf Coast.
The temperature predictions are startling: 25 below zero in Fargo, N.D., minus 31 in International Falls, Minn., and 15 below in Indianapolis and Chicago. At those temperatures, exposed skin can get frostbitten in minutes and hypothermia can quickly set in because wind chills could hit 50, 60 or even 70 below zero.
FULL story at link.
Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20140104/DAB3OUC00.html
Ice floats on the surface of Lake Michigan Friday, Jan. 3, 2014, in Chicago. Single-digit temperatures are hitting Illinois after the state was blanketed in snow. Meanwhile, residents are bracing for a deep freeze. Highs early next week likely won't reach zero and wind chills could sink to 45 below. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
blackspade
(10,056 posts)Because of the decrease in temperature extremes between the Poles and the Equator, the jet streams develop deep slow moving troughs that channels this extremely cold temperatures south.
But facts won't stop the idiot brigade of climate change deniers from spouting their bullshit.
Ellipsis
(9,124 posts)Jack Hall: Who is it?
Terry Rapson: Terry Rapson. Sorry to call you so early.
Jack Hall: No, professor. It's alright. What is it?
Terry Rapson: Well we've found something extraordinary... extraordinary and disturbing, that is. You recall what you said in New Delhi about how polar melting might disrupt the North Atlantic current?
Jack Hall: Yes.
Terry Rapson: Well... I think it's happening.
ZRT2209
(1,357 posts)Pterodactyl
(1,687 posts)paleotn
(17,876 posts)to me the real world is far, far more interesting than CGI fantasy. And yes, my better half has asked me more than once to stop nit picking the science goofs and just enjoy the damn movie.
regnaD kciN
(26,044 posts)brett_jv
(1,245 posts)Was when activists adopted the phrase 'Global Warming'. We opened ourselves up to the stupidity of the deniers by calling it that.
For my part, I've been correcting people for years now when they say 'Global Warming'. The far more accurate term is 'Anthropomorphic Climate Change'.
Because as WE all know, there's large parts of the globe poised to become much, much cooler (such as most of Europe), even as the overall global average temp climbs. But there's always gonna be dipshits that look at things like ... this ... and go "Here's teh GLOBAL WARMING for ya! Herpty Derp!!!'
BTW, this deep freeze could make for some interesting NFL playoff games this weekend. One which (I would imagine for the first time ever) features matchups where 4 'warm weather/dome' teams face off against 4 'cold weather' teams, 3 out of 4 which will be held at the 'cold' stadium. This weekend we have San Diego going to Cincinnati, New Orleans going to Philly, San Fran going to Green Bay ... and the one 'reversal' is KC going to the Indianapolis stadium (which is a dome). Frankly, I don't ANY of the 6 teams playing outdoors this weekend are going to be prepared for how friggin cold it's gonna be ...
mathematic
(1,431 posts)(The word you're looking for is "anthropogenic", a common mix-up due to an uncommon word.)
JustAnotherGen
(31,780 posts)pangaia
(24,324 posts)" Anthropomorphic ?"
Lint Head
(15,064 posts)civillawyer
(55 posts)Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)That's without the wind chill.
Nothing new, though. I remember winters up there in the '70s when, right about now, we would go days without ever seeing zero.
newfie11
(8,159 posts)We are looking at. -1 for high and -11 for low.
Warmer here. Bundle up
DeadLetterOffice
(1,352 posts)than it is on my front porch in upstate New York. Gotta love the Northeast...
I too remember the joy of the winters in the mid-to-late 70's, when it was colder at my grandmother's place in Ohio than it was where my uncle was living in Skagway Alaska.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)I worked at our local co-op and one winter we had a prolonged freezing spell of around 15 at night,
in the Pac. Northwest.
I had to open the store at 7 am, fire up the wood stove, set out the produce, etc.
The walk in freezer was warmer than the store in the am.
That kind of cold weather was bearable, because the humidity was low.
I found that on this side of the Rockies, the humidity makes the cold much worse, right to the bone.
RebelOne
(30,947 posts)and the temperature in my area is predicted to be 9 degrees on Tuesday morning. One town in the mountain area is predicted to be minus-6. We have not had temperatures like this since 1996.
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)Once you hit 0 degrees, does -15 really feel any colder?
All I know is that at 18 degrees here, my face HURTS after about 3 minutes.
emmadoggy
(2,142 posts)You actually wouldn't think you can feel the difference once it gets that cold, but in reality, YES, it really does feel colder.
It is nasty, and if there is even a little bit of a breeze (to say nothing of even mild winds or worse) it takes your breath away when it hits you in the face. Your nose hairs freeze too. Unless your car is kept in a garage or is plugged in, there's a good chance it won't start. The snow and pretty much everything else crunches - if your car does run, the seals and shocks etc. will squeak and crunch as you drive over bumps. It can become very difficult to keep your car windows defrosted. Any exposed flesh will become frostbitten within 5-15 minutes (depending on the wind chill). If you throw hot water in the air, it does this:
And then there's -25 or -30! That hurts. -30 to -35 is the coldest I have experienced, so I can't speak to what -40 feels like, but some of our northern Minnesota folks could tell you.
18 degrees is just a normal January day for this area. A day in the 30's is considered balmy and is a treat because it melts some of the snowy sludge off the streets and driveways.
emmadoggy
(2,142 posts)HIGH for Monday is forecast to be -16 with a wind chill of -50 to -60.
Coldest temps here since 1996 and there may be some records set.
Stay safe and warm everyone!
SharonAnn
(13,771 posts)I think we had a week where it never got above 0 degrees. Several days/nights of 30-35 degrees below.
Even though accustomed to cold winters, it was unusually brutal.
I'm near Knoxville, TN now and we're expecting a low of of 0 degrees tonight, high of 23 tomorrow and then back up to 43 on Wednesday.
emmadoggy
(2,142 posts)Yes, we are pretty used to the cold winters here, but when it gets like this we still complain because... well, it SUCKS!! LOL.
The good news is that by the end of the week it is supposed to warm up pretty nicely! Take care!
passiveporcupine
(8,175 posts)We've had historically lower temps here in Oregon in November than I've seen in 17 years...but it's nothing compared to temps back in the 60's.
So, while I like using global climate change as a wedge issue, because I totally believe it it, it may not always be what is behind all major climate issues. This may just be a normal fluctuation in weather patterns.
We do seem to be having a drought in Oregon, on central/west side of the mountains...so I'm not really sure what is happening, but I'm not comfortable with where we are right now.
AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)To be perfectly honest, I myself have never come across any proof that climate change is responsible for any *single* weather event, whether it be this week's Arctic air blast, or the tornadoes in 2011, etc.; in all likelihood, this is indeed just part of the normal pattern.
However, though, there is some legitimate evidence that does seem to suggest that climate change can, and possibly already is, affecting long-term trends in all kinds of inclement weather, even including cold snaps. Right now, it seems that "global weirding" might be the best term to describe what is currently happening.
Nonhlanhla
(2,074 posts)I am in agreement with this. But I was thinking this morning, there are basically two responses to this. Normal intelligent people go outside, say "brrr" and then say, this could be due to global warming (although these normal intelligent people would recognize it could also be normal fluctuations and one should not jump to too easy conclusions).
On the other hand, climate change deniers go outside, say "brrr" and then say, see, there is no global warming. They're kind of like people who look at the horizon and say, see the earth is flat, because the horizon looks flat.
passiveporcupine
(8,175 posts)And in fact I do believe our current drought conditions are a result of climate change. Our Mt. Hood glacier has been melting for years and many of the orchard and farm communities that depend on it for water are worried about the future.
longship
(40,416 posts)The deal is that the climate change deniers are already claiming that climate warming cannot be true. These dumb as a bag of hammers people will spin this the same way. And what's worse is that the dumb as a bag of hammers public will believe them.
But we need to teach our children creationism in the science classroom.
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)I think the AGW convinced are the real climate change deniers and are projecting their denial on the skeptics. They are claiming that (natural) climate warming cannot be true.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Aerows
(39,961 posts)It is wet, cold and awful here.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)rurallib
(62,373 posts)Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)Brigid
(17,621 posts)That the term "climate change" is more accurate than "global warming." From what I understand, meteorologists seem to be expecting wild swings in weather patterns rather than just rising temps. That certainly seems to be happening here.
AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts).....and possibly has already done so. The deniers may harp on & on about solitary weather events, especially winter weather like this.....but here's the thing they don't get: it's only one single event. The real scientists are discussing long-term trends, and again, the evidence is pointing in the direction of climate change having at least some effect on overall patterns.
fleabiscuit
(4,542 posts)With a video!
"The jet stream, the study says, is becoming wavier, with steeper troughs and higher ridges. Weather systems are progressing more slowly, raising the chances for long-duration extreme events, like droughts, floods, and heat waves."
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/arctic-warming-is-altering-weather-patterns-study-shows
myrna minx
(22,772 posts)day off, myself. A day on PJs sounds much nicer than trying to make my way through that. I feel for the folks who don't have the option of staying home.
trusty elf
(7,380 posts)I have a family photo from New iberia, Louisiana, taken in February, 1899, after a very rare blizzard.
[IMG][/IMG]
Ferretherder
(1,445 posts)...you've seen people in New Orleans trying to drive in snow and ice!
Back in the early '90's, when I was living in Metairie(a suburb of 'nawlins), we got about 6 inches of the white stuff, one night. It was hard to keep count of the number of cars in the ditches!
In a totally unrelated instance, I remember living in Monroe, LA in the early to mid '80's, and the temps getting so low one night(5 degrees), that I was able to ICE SKATE on the bayou the next morning - I mean all the way out to the middle, and stuff!
...and don't ask me what I was doing with ice skates in Louisiana.
kwassa
(23,340 posts)and we did the Tabasco tour.