 |
Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay |
1. Glimpse: A low-pressure area with a wide expansion of swirling cold air surrounding both Polar Regions where counter-clockwise flow of air helps keep the colder air near the poles.
2. Polar vortex event: In winter, in the northern hemisphere the polar vortex sometimes becomes less stable and expands i.e. Breaking off” of a part of the vortex, sending cold air southward with the jet stream.
3. Normal case: When the vortex is strong and healthy, it helps keep a current of air known as the jet stream traveling around the globe in a pretty circular path. This current keeps the cold air up north and the warm air down south.
4. Opposite case: Without the strong low-pressure system, the jet stream becomes wavy and rambling. Put a couple of areas of high-pressure systems in its way, and all of a sudden a river of cold air being pushed down south along with the rest of the polar vortex system.
5. Though the polar vortex is always “hanging out” up North, it takes pretty “unusual conditions” for it to “weaken” for it to migrate far south.
6. Beside North America, Europe and Asia also experiences the cold surges connected to the polar vortex.
7. Only danger to humans is the magnitude of how cold temperatures will get when the polar vortex expands, sending Arctic air southward into areas that are not typically that cold.
For more : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_vortex
Comments