What is the polar vortex and how does it impact our weather?
It's a term you hear every couple of winters, when we get stuck in the coldest of cold patterns – polar vortex. But what exactly is it and how does it impact our weather?
The polar vortex is like a giant, swirling pool of super-cold air in the upper atmosphere over the North Pole. Imagine it like a children's spinning top. When the top is spinning fast and steady, all that icy air stays tightly locked around the arctic, keeping the freezing temperatures up north.
But just like when a top starts to slow down and wobble, the polar vortex can sometimes get out of balance. When it wobbles or weakens, chunks of that super cold air can spill out and slide south, making places like the United States suddenly feel bone-chillingly cold.
How long does the polar vortex's impact last?
So a weak vortex allows more arctic air and stormy patterns to develop here in the U.S. A strong one keeps arctic outbreaks at bay. Unfortunately, it is something that cannot be well predicted more than a couple weeks in advance, though La Nina does produce more big disruptions than other years.
That cold arctic blast can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. A particularly brutal pattern in 2021 led to wind chills near 60 below zero in the Upper Midwest and an ice storm along the Gulf Coast.
There is even a polar vortex on our sun.
So, when you hear about the polar vortex acting up, get ready to layer up and brace yourself for some possible serious winter weather.
