The recent snowstorm on the Eastern Shore is just the beginning of freezing temperatures due to the polar vortex. These temperatures from the Arctic are forecast to hit a large portion of the United States. The Arctic blast is being driven by large-scale pressure changes and an expansion of the polar vortex.
Temperatures could be 30 degrees Fahrenheit below average temperatures as far south as Florida. In Key West, we need to look out for falling iguanas, not a weather condition that is experienced in most of America. Iguanas go into a temporary state of paralysis when they get cold, and they can’t hold onto tree branches. That thud we hear is another loathsome creature hitting the pavement (but unfortunately surviving).
While it’s too early for precise temperature forecasts, the weather websites warned that this could be the coldest January in more than a decade. The expansion of the polar vortex is expected to last at least until the middle of January and possibly for the entire month.
What is the polar vortex? While it is an ominous sounding phenomenon, in fact it is a large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding both of the North and South poles. The vortex strengthens in winter, which is why we are typically not impacted by it in the summer. The term “vortex” refers to the counterclockwise flow of air at wind speeds of 155 mph that helps keep the colder air near the Poles. It is not uncommon for the polar vortex to expand in winter, sending cold air southward with the jet stream. Major polar vortex disruptions occurred in 2014, 1977, 1982, 1985 and 1989. The most recent polar vortex event in 2019 sent a massive cold front across the Midwest.
Polar vortexes are not new, it is just the term that has been popularized. Weather forecasters study the polar vortex by looking at conditions tens of thousands of feet up in the atmosphere. And cold air due to a polar vortex is not confined to the United States, portions of Europe and Asia experience similar cold surges.
Polar vortexes occasionally reverse, but not this year.
So bundle up, this will be with us for a while. Enjoy the snow, while I step over gross, paralyzed iguanas on my deck.
Angela Rieck, a Caroline County native, received her PhD in Mathematical Psychology from the University of Maryland and worked as a scientist at Bell Labs, and other high-tech companies in New Jersey before retiring as a corporate executive. Angela and her dogs divide their time between St Michaels and Key West Florida. Her daughter lives and works in New York City.
