The Polar Vortex Over the past few years the United States has endured some abnormally chilling temperatures. Especially in the northern states, there have been record breaking low temperatures. Temperatures dropped so low that there were videos going viral of people throwing hot water into the air that immediately turned to snow as soon as it hit the cold air. People could also blow bubbles outside and they would instantly turn to balls of ice. There were hundreds of people left with power and some homeless people actually froze to death. People blamed the terrible winter storms on everything from global warming to the apocalypse, but the true reason was the polar vortex rearing its ugly head back to our hemisphere. Most people, if asked, …show more content…
My family and I attempted all of the weather challenges that went viral on the internet. We took hot water and threw it up into the air outside and watched it turn to a powdery substance. We also were able to blow bubbles with my little sister and watch them turn to ice and fall to the ground to bust. While the weather can cause school to be cancelled, grocery stores stay open. I work in a grocery store so it was an extreme hassle for me to get back and forth to work in the six inches of snow that stuck for roughly two weeks. While I love snow and adore it as my favorite type of weather, it makes driving extremely difficult. Upper east Tennessee was not the only place effected by the Polar Vortex. According to an article by Randy Mann, "Fayetteville, Ark., plunged to an all-time record low of minus 3 degrees on Jan. 7. Farther to the north, it was a brutal minus 15 degrees in Chicago and a dangerously cold minus 41 near Jordan, Mont., on Jan. 4 and 5. Temperatures near the Great Lakes ranged from minus 20 to minus 35 degrees with wind chills near minus 50 last week." …show more content…
The Polar Vortex is not just her in the winter when it is cold; it is a permanent force that never stops. The polar vortex isn't a storm or short-term phenomenon that causes an outbreak of Arctic cold. It is a permanent feature circling the North Pole, even in summer. Any article that says something about "no polar vortex this time" is just dead wrong; it's there, and will be there even if it's 100 degrees sometime next summer. The shape, expanse and speed of upper-air flow and position of smaller sub-vortices within the larger polar vortex determine how much Arctic air moves away from the North Pole and where it goes.
Early this February the states surrounding the great lakes in the northeast were pounded by lake-effect snow storms. Some areas saw more than four feet of snow. These states are accustomed to lake-effect snow storms, but it has been some time since they last saw one of this magnitude. Some areas saw up to 140 inches in less than twelve days. The storm was accountable for 35 deaths. (msn.com 2007)
INTRODUCTION The winter season can be a major hassle for some people while others just have to deal with a slight cool down in temperatures. Over the northern portions of the country, people are faced to deal with the harsh conditions that Mother Nature has in store. Some winter seasons are less brutal than others. Besides the typical storm systems that come through the area and drop different types of precipitation whether it is snow, sleet, or freezing rain, there’s another weather event that affects not everyone in the country, but primarily around the Great Lakes.
January 12, 1888, a blizzard covered the northwest part of North America that claimed many lives. This blizzard was considered to be the worst blizzard of all time, and was dubbed the “the Schoolchildren’s Blizzard”, for claiming the lives of so many school children on their way home. The death toll of this murderous blizzard rose, because of lack of preparation and being uninformed. During this time, many farmers and families were unprepared to survive a blizzard of this magnitude, by the lack of clothing they wore. Forecasters were not as accurate enough to inform people on the weather conditions. Also, shelter was a major factor in protecting themselves from the winter storms, but the shelter was not stable
A series of cold spells and heavy snowfalls culminated in the first week of January, when a huge snowstorm accompanied by high winds hit the central plains. Drifts of six feet or more were common and the temperature dropped to 30 degrees below zero in some places. Many prairie homes had been quickly and cheaply built, leaving settlers ill prepared to protect themselves from such cold. The snow and wind were so fierce that people became lost a few yards from their homes.
We are going through a massive drought in Oklahoma. We had just gone through the Great Depression and now this. We are struggling to pay for our land or even buy food. We have no idea what to do. I had talked to my wife and she had told me, “We should just wait it out for a bit and hope everything gets better.” I had reminded her that the government was taking people’s land and that we do not have much time. We had decided to go to breakfast with the children and let them know that we were struggling. We weren’t able to get much food though.
Blizzards can affect people’s lives in many different ways. The strong winds and blistering cold temperatures
Just imagine this rather frightening catastrophic rendition of events! A mile-high sheet of glacial ice again descends from the Arctic Circle onto the United States and soon every skyscraper in Seattle, Chicago and New York City is violently crushed and devastated during a 21st century three hundred and first cataclysmic ice invasion.
On January 12, 1888, the Children’s Blizzard hits part of the Northwest Plains. This blizzard is also known as the Schoolchildren’s Blizzard or Schoolhouse Blizzard (Potter). The name is associated with schoolchildren’s because it was mostly children trying to go back home, that froze to death along their way. It was such a beautiful day, just like one of those days someone would have in April, that no one would have suspected such a bitter snowstorm to come. The blizzard came when a cold, arctic wind from Canada met with the winds that came from the south. Everyone, including the kids, were dressed up with short sleeves. Just like how somebody would wear on a hot, spring day. The air from Canada carried heavy snow and harsh winds along with it, causing the hurricane (Blizzard Brings Tragedy to Northwest Plains). The Children’s Blizzard hit both of South and North Dakota (back then in 1888, it was one territory), Nebraska, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho, causing lots of heartbroken and unexpected deaths (McLeod).
There needs to be a reduction in emissions, yet we cannot focus on this aspect of global warming alone. There are many indicators that climatic change is influencing the frequency and intensity of natural catastrophes. If scientific global climate models are accurate, the present problems will be magnified in the near future. Already scientists have observed that more than 75% of the recent economic losses are caused by natural hazards, which can be attributed to wind storms, floods, droughts and other climate-related hazards. In the year 2008, the U.S. state of Iowa was on the front pages of newspapers all around the world.
Did you know that over Christmas break for Council Bluffs, Iowa they weather colder than Antarctica? It was below zero and in the negative numbers. On a few days it was negative five and negative two. It was very dangerous for people to be outside in the cold. Cars were acting up because of how cold it was and it was dangerous for people to be outside for longer than 30 minutes. My mom’s car always acts up when it’s cold outside her tire pressure drops. My brothers car was outside all night and my mom pulled it in the garage after my dad left and it didn’t want to start or go up the driveway. Walking in and out of places were very cold and it was dangerous for your skin to be showing in those weather conditions. So after me and my mom walked
Treacherous weather conditions may have you wanting to stay home, but that’s not always possible, including during the winter months. Sleet, ice, and snow can make for a tough drive, but as long as you take it slow and maintain extra space between yourself and the car in front, you can make the trip. At the same time, it is important to include certain winter car accessories, must have items when the weather is a beast.
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm that frequently has very cold temperatures and high winds. These two conditions form blowing snow. Did you know when a blizzard occurs it makes driving or walking extremely dangerous because the whiteout conditions make it difficult to see and do anything? According to the National Weather Service, “blizzards are vast amounts of falling snow with winds in surplus of 35 mph and visibilities of less than ¼ of a mile for a period of more than 3 hours.” Blizzards also create a wind chill effect that can be dangerous. The blowing winds and low temperatures can cause Frostbite/Hypothermia. Blizzards that occur on the East Coast of the United States are known as Nor’easters. Due to the Atlantic Ocean, the storm stalls over the coast and can sometimes last 24 hours dumping huge amounts of snow over 45 mph, temperatures at 10 degrees Fahrenheit or lower than zero visibility. I personally believe that a Nor’easter is the most dangerous type of blizzard there is! According to Weather.com, “a Ground blizzard is when there is no falling snow and snow from the ground is blown by strong winds.” Blizzards are measured by low temperatures (usually below 20 degrees Fahrenheit) and accompanied by winds that are at least 35 mph or greater. Blizzards also have sufficient falling and/or blowing snow that reduces visibility to 1/4 mile or less during at least three hours. A severe blizzard must have temperatures near or below 10 degrees Fahrenheit, winds above 45 mph, and visibility concentrated by snow to near zero. Storm systems dominant enough to cause blizzards usually form when the jet stream inclines far to the south, permitting cold air from the north to crash with temperate air from the south. Blizzard condition...
Approximately 55 people were killed in storm-related incidents such as poor road conditions. Total economic losses were estimated between $500 million and $3 billion***. Characteristics of the disaster Although frequently hit by winter storms, this particular storm rated a category not typically seen. Experts considered it amongst the most powerful winter storms, ranked 4th, to impact the Northeast United States since 1950***. The storm was anticipated nearly a week in advance, however, forecasted snow levels were grossly underestimated.
My parents grew up in small town in Mexico. There was a little river that went through part of the town when they were growing up. Every weekend or so they would go out and would go swimming with their families, it almost became a tradition to go swimming there until they noticed that the river 's water level was becoming smaller and smaller. Today there is no river anymore, instead it 's a road that travels through the town. Every time I visit my family in Mexico it would alway be nice and warm up until this year when I went in December. I remember waking up and getting ready to go to my aunt 's house in clothes for warm weather. As I open the door, the cold air punch me and I saw snowflakes falling down. It 's not supposed to snow in that
Hurricanes, Tsunamis, retreating glaciers, volcanoes and cyclones. What I'm about to tell you is real and will change your life forever-so wake up and smell the roses which are now blooming in winter.