The polar vortex brings the most extreme winter weather in years from the north of the country to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico
Photo: David Ryder / Getty Images
From icy winds near 60 degrees below zero in the Upper Midwest to an ice storm that can reach the Gulf Coast, it is rare for winter weather to be so extreme.
The cause is that a polar vortex forms a very active jet stream.
That means cold, snow and ice for hundreds of millions of Americans.
Saturday , more than two-thirds of the nation was under some form of winter weather alert ranging from freezing wind warnings on the plains from the north to winter storm warnings for the Pacific Northwest. There were also winter weather advisories in South Texas and ice storm advisories in the mid-Atlantic , reported CBS News .
A few weeks ago, the polar vortex, which normally found near the North Pole, it broke into pieces, a natural occurrence that occurs every two winters. Smaller vortices spread across the Northern Hemisphere, bringing pockets of arctic air to Siberia, Europe, and North America.
For Sunday and Monday, The icy air currently over the northern plains will sink into central Texas, bringing with it icy subzero winds.
The following image traces the origin of the cold air from the Arctic Ocean, down through from Canada and south across the US plains
In case anyone was wondering where the cold air was coming from… ..the Arctic.
The Arctic is bringing the cold air. pic.twitter.com/Xu6cjDXUEh
– Zach Covey (@ZachCoveyTV) February 02, 2021
The temperatures will be dangerous. On Sunday morning in North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin, wind chills will bottom out in the range of -40 to -60 Fahrenheit degrees.
Over 550 million Americans will be impacted by a coast-to-coast winter storm that will deepen in the Southern Plains tomorrow and lift into the MS / TN / OH Valleys and Northeast through Tuesday. In addition, bitterly cold temperatures will lead to dangerous wind chills.
Stay safe! pic.twitter.com/N1kNKGqNKu
– NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) February 12, 2021
The lows will fall below zero from Saturday to Tuesday morning in Kansas City, possibly falling to – 15 on Monday or Tuesday morning. Taking into account the wind, temperatures will range between 20 Y 20 below zero, on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday morning .
Even Dallas, Texas, will experience temperatures well below freezing Monday and Tuesday mornings. Actual temperatures will be 50 degrees below it normal Monday morning in much of Texas and Oklahoma.
Heavy snow is falling across the mountains and lowlands of Washington and Oregon today with significant icing in northwest Oregon. Significant icing will also occur over Virginia and southern Maryland into Sunday. pic.twitter.com/BmE6lolfGH
– National Weather Service (@NWS) February 13, 2021
Despite being extreme, the weather is not it’s as extreme as it could be. During the last decades, due to climate change man-made, colder extremes are becoming less extreme. As an example, in Minneapolis, the coldest day of each year is now 13 degrees warmer than it used to be.
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