Turk Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 A polar vortex dropped over the United States on Monday, bringing life-threatening freezing temperatures to large parts of the country.Meteorologists predicted the lowest temperatures in two decades in some areas of the country, with the mercury at -37 degrees Celsius in Milwaukee.Icy roads and snow storms created travel chaos, with thousands of flights cancelled or delayed.The north-eastern US has endured heavy snow and deadly freezing conditions since the start of the year, and the extreme cold has claimed about a dozen lives nationwide.What is a polar vortex?Arctic air is normally penned in over the Arctic by a powerful circular wind called the polar vortex.The bitter chill gripping North America is a result of Arctic air that has spilled southwards.When the vortex weakens, the air starts heading southwards, bringing exceptional snow and chill to middle latitudes.The polar vortex is the driven by the difference in air temperature between the Arctic and mid latitudes.AFP"The coldest weather in years will be making its presence known from the Upper Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic region for the beginning of the work week," the National Weather Service said.Wind chill warnings were in effect from Montana to as far south as Tennessee and Alabama, with temperatures feeling as cold as -45C, it said, describing the conditions as "life threatening".On the East Coast, a brief lull in the deep freeze greeted commuters on Monday, but temperatures were expected to drop overnight (local time).In Milwaukee, on the shores of Lake Michigan, officials warned residents to stay indoors and urged schools to shut down."Police are reaching out to homeless citizens in order to help them find the nearest shelter," city spokeswoman Sarah DeRoo said.All schools were closed in Minnesota. In Cook County in Illinois, which includes Chicago, warming centres were opened for anyone suffering, including those whose home heating did not work."This winter storm will be one for the record books, and we want to make sure everyone stays safe and warm until it passes," Illinois state governor Pat Quinn said.Freeze prompts health warnings, travel disruptionExposed skin could suffer frostbite in as little as five minutes in such conditions, experts warn.More than 3,000 flights were cancelled on Monday, according to industry tracker FlightAware, including nearly 800 at Chicago O'Hare International, one of the country's busiest airports.Hundreds more flights were cancelled or delayed from other major hubs like New York's John F Kennedy or Newark International.A Delta passenger airplane skidded into a snow bank at JFK on Sunday. Nobody was hurt, but the plane had to be towed to its gate.In Wisconsin, Sunday's National Football League playoff showdown between the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers at the open-air Lambeau Field was one of the coldest NFL games in history.The Packers helped the more than 70,000 football fans at the stadium battle the freeze by handing out free coffee, hot chocolate and hand warmers. Green Bay lost to San Francisco, 23-20.In Indianapolis, mayor Greg Ballard urged residents to simply stay indoors.Freezing rain is forecast to hit the south and east, while the New England region and New York could see more snow.The southern city of Atlanta will likely experience record low temperatures, while in normally balmy Florida, the National Weather Service issued a hard freeze warning in the northern part of the state.The extreme cold disrupted flights and classes in Canada as well. In the Atlantic island province of Newfoundland, more than 30,000 people were without power. Nationwide, officials warned of "treacherous" travel conditions.Meteorologists said that a warming trend would mercifully begin at mid-week.Deaths blamed on the frigid weather include a worker crushed by a 30-metre pile of salt being prepared to treat roads in the Philadelphia area on Friday, and a 71-year-old woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease who froze to death after getting lost in New York state, officials said.Reutershttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-07/arctic-chill-brings-freezing-weather-to-much-of-united-states/5187252 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackieo Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 http://www.weather.gov/satellite#wv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ambrocious Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Got SUPER cold here in Colorado....freezing my butt off might describe it better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorel Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 I saw it in news :eek: ...and I complaininig because in Madrid is 3º :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackieo Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 (edited) Got SUPER cold here in Colorado....freezing my butt off might describe it better.(off topic- how much is a LEGAL gram of weed up there? (street value $10.00)http://www.weather.gov/satellite#wvThis circular path is amazing Edited January 7, 2014 by jackieo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallhagrid Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 -20F here on sunday...+40F monday with pouring rain on top of the standing snow...-5F tuesday and all is glare ice or snow that is now like concrete.Polar vortex ?? Wow.If it'd only get cold & stay solidly cold for a while it'd be loads better than the opposing & sudden extremes which make things so difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dMog Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 minus 49 here yesterday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turk Posted January 10, 2014 Author Share Posted January 10, 2014 Niagara Falls frozen in polar vortex that battered US and Canadahttp://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/niagara-falls-frozen-in-polar-vortex-that-battered-us-and-canada/story-fnh81jut-1226798785203 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dMog Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 wow... the USA calls it a vortex.and we canucks call it an average winter...actually warmer than last years winter and far less snow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dMog Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 Niagara Falls frozen in polar vortex that battered US and Canadahttp://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/niagara-falls-frozen-in-polar-vortex-that-battered-us-and-canada/story-fnh81jut-1226798785203not totally frozen...water and lot of it still flows over the falls...one time it did freeze enough to stop the flow and people were able to actually walk at the base of the falls and found many very old artifactshttp://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/reform/jb_reform_niagra_2.htmlhttp://www.neatorama.com/2010/03/30/1848-niagara-falls-stopped/#!rQYz7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackieo Posted January 10, 2014 Share Posted January 10, 2014 (edited) here is a website with a ton of data on this - http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/01/07/a-sober-look-at-the-northern-polar-vortex/and a real cool 3d animation - that you can left click (hold to grab & move the planet around) use the scroll wheel to make the earth bigger or smallerhttp://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/10hPa/orthographic=-58.21,25.76,248looks like this - mouse on the planet, and hold left button to move it, and use scroll wheel to zoom in and out Edited January 10, 2014 by jackieo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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