Was there a polar vortex in 2015?

The cause of the cold wave was due to the polar vortex advancing southward into the eastern parts of the U.S, and even making it as far south as the Southeast, where large snow falls are rare. …

Was there a polar vortex in 2014?

The event occurred in early 2014 and was caused by a southward shift of the North Polar Vortex. Record-low temperatures also extended well into March. Temperatures fell to unprecedented levels, and low temperature records were broken across the United States.

What years have we had a polar vortex?

This occurs fairly regularly during wintertime and is often associated with large outbreaks of Arctic air in the United States. The one that occurred January 2014 is similar to many other cold outbreaks that have occurred in the past, including several notable colder outbreaks in 1977, 1982, 1985 and 1989.

Where will the polar vortex hit 2021?

North Pole
The January 2021 event pushed the polar vortex from its normal position over the North Pole all the way over to Europe and Siberia, nearly pulling it apart multiple times in the process.

What year did Boston get 100 inches of snow?

2014–15 North American winter.

Why is February so cold?

For the Northern Hemisphere, the months of January and February are typically the coldest. The reason is due to cumulative cooling and a relatively low sun angle. The sun angle is relatively low all winter, thus the land and water can continue to cool down through the middle of the winter.

What causes a weak polar vortex?

Sudden stratospheric warming events are associated with weaker polar vortices. This warming of stratospheric air can reverse the circulation in the Arctic Polar Vortex from counter-clockwise to clockwise. These changes aloft force changes in the troposphere below.

What was the coldest winter on record?

At the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, located on the highest plateau of Antarctica, average temperatures from April to September, the continent’s winter months, fell all the way down to 78 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (61 degrees below zero Celsius).

Will there be a polar vortex in 2020?

Globes show show 10-millibar geopotential heights—an indicator of air pressure—for (left) December 26, 2020 as the polar vortex began to weaken, (middle) on January 5, 2021 when the stratospheric winds reversed sign, and (right) on January 15, 2021 during the sudden stratospheric warming event.

What does a polar vortex look like?

Sometimes the vortex forms a fairly neat, tight circle, but the vortex is typically irregularly shaped with a number of large meanders in the flow known as longwaves. Regions where the cold air dips southward are known as longwave troughs. Regions where the warm air extends northward are known as longwave ridges.

Is 2021 a La Nina year?

La Niña conditions have officially developed and are expected to remain in place through the entirety of winter 2021-2022. Per NOAA, La Niña is defined as cooler than normal sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean that impact global weather patterns.

What exactly is the polar vortex?

A polar vortex is an upper-level low-pressure area lying near one of the Earth ‘s poles. There are two polar vortices in the Earth’s atmosphere, overlying the North and South Poles. Each polar vortex is a persistent, large-scale, low-pressure zone less than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) in diameter,…

When will polar vortex end?

Although winter temperatures in the lower 48 states have generally been normal or warmer than average, a blast of intensely cold air first spilled down to the Midwest and the northeastern U.S. around January 20. Now, atmospheric scientists say it’s likely to return at the end of January.

How does the polar vortex affect planet Earth?

When the polar vortex is strong, this creates strong low pressure in the Arctic region. Because of the pressure difference between the Arctic and mid-latitudes, air flows into low pressure and this confines the cold air to high latitudes closer to the Arctic.

What happened to the polar vortex?

That’s what happened in early 2014. The polar vortex suddenly weakened, and a huge high-pressure system formed over Greenland . The high-pressure system blocked the escape of all that cold air in the jet stream, and allowed part of the polar vortex to break off and move southward.