A Polar Vortex is like a huge spinning bowl of very cold air that sits over Earth’s poles. Think of it as a giant whirlpool of freezing air that usually stays in the Arctic region during winter.
Here’s what happens in simple terms:
- During normal times, this cold air stays trapped in the Arctic by strong winds that circle the pole, kind of like a fence keeping the cold air contained.
- Sometimes this “fence” of winds gets weak or breaks. When this happens, the freezing Arctic air can spill southward, like cold water spilling from a broken bowl.
- When this Arctic air escapes southward, it brings extremely cold temperatures to places that aren’t usually that cold. This is why during a Polar Vortex, places like Chicago or New York might experience temperatures that feel more like the Arctic.
The effects include:
- Unusually cold temperatures that can last for days or weeks
- Heavy snow
- Strong winds that make it feel even colder
- Potential dangers like frostbite and frozen pipes
While Polar Vortexes have always existed, we hear about them more often now because climate change can make them more likely to break down and send cold air southward. It might seem odd, but global warming can actually lead to these intense cold snaps in certain regions.
