This month, it’s not unusual to wakeup to sunshine creeping through your blinds in Eugene, OR. We have lucked out and had little to no rain (except for today), compared to our usual rainy winters. Therefore, it’s hard for us to remember that just last year, Eugene was covered in snow for a solid week in February. Snow rarely falls in Eugene, so lots of people enjoyed the surprise until the rain came and froze the streets. The Polar Vortex, that Eugene and many other cities were caught in, caused this crazy weather pattern. If you’re pondering whether this is a side affect of global warming, you are correct.
You might be wondering what the Polar Vortex even is, so here is some general information. According to the blog post, What Is This “Polar Vortex” That Is Freezing the U.S.?, the Polar Vortex is “a prevailing wind pattern that circles the Arctic, flowing from west to east all the way around the Earth.” It captures and holds extremely cold air above the North Pole; however, the vortex occasionally weakens, causing this cold air to flood Canada, the U.S., and sometimes Eastern Europe. The blog also states, “In addition to bringing cold, the air mass can push the jet stream—the band of wind that typically flows from the Pacific Ocean across the U.S.—much further south as well.” This moisture from the jet stream can cause heavy snowstorms such as “snowmageddon” that took place in Washington, D.C., February 2010.
This is a picture taken by John Harrison/Cater News of the Polar Vortex clouds hovering Chicago.
Now that you know what the Polar Vortex is and how it affects our weather patterns when it’s weakened, you might ask what actually causes the vortex to weaken. According to Wobbly polar vortex triggers extreme cold air outbreak, “less sea ice and snow cover in the Arctic and relatively warmer Arctic air temperatures at the end of autumn suggest a more wavy jet stream pattern and more variability between the straight and wavy pattern.” Global Warming is causing the Earth’s temperature to rise and melting the Arctic Ocean’s ice, furthermore warming up the Arctic. Referring back to the blog What Is This “Polar Vortex” That Is Freezing the U.S.?, it says that as the ocean radiates the excess heat from the warming ocean, it disrupts the polar vortex. Over the last decade, scientists have reported that the more ice that disappears from the Arctic Sea in the summer causes the vortex to weaken more over the winter.
When we think of global warming, we usually turn to the idea of temperatures rising; however, in this case, it’s causing our temperatures to fall. Global warming is affecting us in so many ways. This is why it’s important for us to study the Polar Vortex because it’s not only affecting our climate, but it’s also a way for us to study keep track of our Earth’s rising temperatures. Next time you are enjoying unusual weather patterns, think about what is causing it.
To see more pictures of the Polar Vortex
Great information about something that has likely affected all of us, yet we don’t know it has affected us. I have lived in Eugene my entire life and last year was easily the most interesting weather wise with all of the snow and ice that impacted us not once, but twice. The images of the polar vortex are especially powerful. With the ice and snow in the arctic melting at much quicker rates, it will be interesting to see if the polar vortex makes another stop in Eugene in the coming years. Very strange to think that a year ago I was watching the snow fall on campus, and now I am wearing shorts to class due to this beautiful weather.
Before reading your post I had no idea that something like the polar vortex even existed! I found your post very fascinating because the weather in Eugene is not like how people described it to me before moving here. It is way sunnier than I even imagined. What I find most interesting is that this vortex can cause somewhere to experience a large snow storm or a massive heat wave. Hopefully people will start to notice these irregular weather patterns as global warming.