Polar vortex on the horizon

Polar vortex may be on the horizon, scientists warn

Climate researchers are sounding the alarm on a polar vortex that’s predicted to sweep through the U.S.’ east coast later this month and inflict one of the harshest winters in years, The Washington Post reported.

Polar vortex could unleash winter wallop by January

Winter got off to a fast start in the Lower 48 even before it was technically winter. Waves of cold gripped the eastern two-thirds of the United States and several winter storms tracked across the region.

Conditions have since eased some, but the heart of winter lies ahead. Will cold and snowy conditions return and turn more harsh?

The polar vortex, the roaring river of air winding around the North Pole, holds the cards. What they reveal could be very disturbing and a harbinger of extreme winter weather in the Eastern United States.

This Polar Vortex is a true marvel of modern science. What we are looking at is the scientific explanation of how global warming is making the earth colder. Here it is:

When the vortex, perched some 60,000 feet high in the atmosphere, is stable, winter conditions over the United States and Europe tend to be rather ordinary. Winter is still winter, with the normal mix of storms, cold snaps and thaws. But when the vortex is disrupted, an ordinary winter can suddenly turn severe and memorable for an extended duration. “[It] can affect the entire winter,” Cohen said in an interview.

Rewind to February of last year to understand the implications. Up to that point, the vortex had held in its stable state, and the winter was a mild, unremarkable one. But then, abruptly, the vortex split. The fracture set off a chain reaction, which first unleashed a punishing blast of cold in Europe and Asia. The media dubbed the cold snap the “beast from the east” as frigid Siberian air flooded the continent.

and

Forecasting stratospheric warming events is still a young science, and model predictions aren’t always that reliable. In this case, confidence is boosted somewhat by the fact that every simulation in the American modeling system projects stratospheric warming within the next 16 days.

There's more if you want to read it.

Now that we know global warming is making things colder, what are we to do? If global warming continues, will we get another ice age?

We need to cool down the earth to stop the vortex so the earth gets warmer, right?

last week we in SC saw the mild tail end of Winter Storm Diego (way before the onset of winter on 21 Dec)


the lower winds/weather seems to be causing the high Atmosphere Jet Stream to mis-function and clobber the USA east coast with the Polar Vortex hard freezes--- All too often to consider these new & odd weather patterns as being 'global warming OR Climate Change', As they are too haphazard and/or random

Weather Wars seems the correct designation--> consider the Russians & Chinese are currently ramping up a Atmosphere Heating Program, to counter the secret HAARP programs the West is using to disrupt global weather right now.

Wouldn't have anything to do with the recent changes in the sun- the thing that provides 100% of the energy our planet gets... Would it?

Of course not, nobody can raise taxes over sun spots.

Bundle up, it's going to be like this for many years.

Polar Vortex known by people that aren't stupid Americans as a winter storm.

originally posted by: Carcharadon
Polar Vortex known by people that aren't stupid Americans as a winter storm.

That was not a nice thing to say as the state side weatherguessers call this event a Polar Vortex.

If the climate is actually cooling guys are right, this winter and several of those to follow will just continue to get worse..

crop losses to follow during harvest time due to the extreme weather across the planet.

originally posted by: St Udio

Weather Wars seems the correct designation--> consider the Russians & Chinese are currently ramping up a Atmosphere Heating Program, to counter the secret HAARP programs the West is using to disrupt global weather right now.

Whoever it is is very likely in the pay of British severe weather enthusiasts who desperately require this SSW* event to give us any faint hope of some decent snow this winter ..... I believe some have offered their mother's kidneys in exchange for just a flurry!

The big question though is how can US and European atmospheric computer models predict what the Russians and Chinese are going to do?


* Sudden Stratospheric Warming - which it appears may occur more frequently as the polar jet weakens dues to Arctic warming.

I'm pretty familiar with the jet stream and how the high pressure polar air mass will bulge down through the Great Lakes area. Right now I'd say that the colder air is pushing down a little further south and east of the usual winter patterns around here.

By pushing farther south, the cold air fights the warmer southern air mass harder and creates stronger storms then would normally occur here when the cold air stays farther north and west. With that jet stream sending the storms southeastward, we have had a stable but very cold air mass over us so far, creating milder snow storms then they are getting less than 100 miles south of my area. Mostly we have had lake effect snows from Lake Michigan, but since I'm just over the east edge of that, it hasn't been much for me.

ETA: I can't imagine that the arctic air mass would go much more to the east due to terrain. It's natural course is down Hundon's Bay into the Great Lakes and down the Mississippi basin. If it did shift more that way I would think our winters could get warmer due to the warmer air pushing in behind it.

a reply to: 727Sky

Was reading the weather blog of our local meteorologist. He pointed out how winter here started off early, and now we are in an unusual warming trend, but his speculation is to wonder if this is actually our normal January mid-winter thaw. There is always one where you get a set of days in the 50s in January. As early as winter started, this would be about the right time for the mid-winter thaw to show up meaning that if he's right, then when it flips back, it will be brutal cold for the rest of the winter.

a reply to: a325nt

You cannot tax the sun

You also cannot get people to vote for you if it’s the sun

Finally, people cannot feel morally superior, if it’s the sun

HAHAHAHAHAA!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow in Florida!!!!!


HAHAHAHAAA!!!

a reply to: toms54



That sounds so stupid. Evidence was created by the global warming people to show that it getting colder is actually caused by global warming. Only an idiot would believe that, with a little money you can get scientists to find some evidence of anything you want.

Yes, we should stamp out our waste of everything including fossil fuels. Quit taking long trips, just because you can get there in a day with a Jet at a cheap price doesn't mean you need to go. The people flying all over is probably one of the worst poluters, when they go, they throw out a lot of food in the fridge and when they get back they stock up and even overstock fresh stuff which goes bad before they use it. They blew away their diet on the trip so figure it is cheaper to come home and buy three heads of lettuce and eat salads that they never do use.

People will spend a grand on exercise equipment which requires power and making the equipment helps to destroy our environment. Then they hop in the car after exercising, driving a block to the store and back because they are too tired to walk, they already got their exercise.

You can go on and on with this kind of irrational behavior, I am sure that everyone here could add to this post.

a reply to: rickymouse

irrational? The warmer it gets the colder it gets. The science is settled!

originally posted by: Carcharadon
Polar Vortex known by people that aren't stupid Americans as a winter storm.

It's always interesting to me how when people really don't know anything about a topic they typically result in sounding just like your line above does.

The Polar Vortex isn't a Winter Storm.
Hell it isn't even just a Winter thing.
Isn't an American thing.
Isn't limited to Earth as it's been observed on at least one other planet.
Isn't new as it was first theorized in the late 1800's and confirmed in the 1950's.


Facts..Who needs them.

originally posted by: toms54
a reply to: rickymouse

irrational? The warmer it gets the colder it gets. The science is settled!

One thing I noticed about this climate change, the Jet stream moved, the snowstorms go south of us now instead of burying us in snow. We chuckle up here now that Heikki Lunta the snow god has discovered that the rest of the country exists and is sharing his spoils with others. He does come back to let us know that he still remembers us here in the Upper Peninsula, but half his storms go down to the south. People have to learn the Heiki Lunta Snow Dance Song if they want him to settle down.

Now Heikki Lunta is just as rational as the warmer the earth gets the colder it gets.

a reply to: toms54

Nah, climate disruption isn’t going to lead to uniform cooling or warming; weather extremes are the resultant product of ‘global warming’...approaching 5 feet of rain YTD (an inch off the record) and 125 miles southeast they got 8.5 feet of rain YTD — 35.5 degrees north, 74.8 degrees west, you can the lat/long approximation for Wilmington. There’s my anecdote.

But since it’s all about warming and cooling and spatial differences dictating anecdotal claims, here’s what the modeler said in summation (he’s still tweaking his methodology/model):

Cohen’s methodology may provide clues about vortex behavior not just months but years into the future, since it is linked to Arctic Sea ice extent, which is in decline. As climate warming continues to shrink sea ice in the Barents-Kara sea region in coming years, “that will tend to increase polar vortex disruption,” he said. In other words, the continental United States, Europe and Asia may face a future of wild winters.

Yeah, less ice (all that energy it takes to turn ice into water has to go/displace something— 2nd law of thermodynamics and all that), more winters!

A disruption of the polar vortex due to an SSW (sudden stratospheric warming) will means some places get colder than normal whilst others, obviously, get warmer.

The SSW itself is a symptom of global warming - the polar jet becoming weaker as the Arctic warms and temperature differential lessens.

The more often the polar vortex is disrupted and warmer than normal air gets into the Arctic in mid winter, the more the Arctic warms, the weaker the jet gets, the more often it all happens ....... Positive feeback.

a reply to: AndyMayhew






we cannot anticipate the China-Russia Atmospheric Heating Program does to weather... but it will result in a different patterns



see: China and Russia are working together to HEAT the atmosphere

At: www.dailymail.co.uk...

originally posted by: 727Sky

originally posted by: Carcharadon
Polar Vortex known by people that aren't stupid Americans as a winter storm.

That was not a nice thing to say as the state side weatherguessers call this event a Polar Vortex.

If the climate is actually cooling guys are right, this winter and several of those to follow will just continue to get worse..

crop losses to follow during harvest time due to the extreme weather across the planet.

It's entirely appropriate.

Americans (the media) just love to sensationalize the hell out of everything.

If you had the weather I've lived with all my life they'd call it a Mini Ice Age every time winter hit.

This Polar Vortex crap isnt new either it's been going on with the forecasters done there for a few years where they use that label for any big winter storm that blows through.

originally posted by: opethPA

originally posted by: Carcharadon
Polar Vortex known by people that aren't stupid Americans as a winter storm.

It's always interesting to me how when people really don't know anything about a topic they typically result in sounding just like your line above does.

The Polar Vortex isn't a Winter Storm.
Hell it isn't even just a Winter thing.
Isn't an American thing.
Isn't limited to Earth as it's been observed on at least one other planet.
Isn't new as it was first theorized in the late 1800's and confirmed in the 1950's.


Facts..Who needs them.

Definitely not American weather forecasters who have been calling every big storm that blows through a Polar Vortex for a few years now.

Careful you guys don't get swamped by a Winter Tsunami (Snow) this year.