A satellite image shows a broad low-pressure area formed by a polar vortex moving across the northern United States on January 6, 2014. The weather system brought dangerously cold temperatures not seen across much of the continent for about 20 years. (Image courtesy of NOAA via Getty Images)
Despite rising global temperatures, winters in the Northern Hemisphere continue to be characterized by cold snaps and extreme snowfalls, sometimes on an unprecedented scale, such as the 2021 deep freeze in Texas and Oklahoma that caused more than $1 billion in damage.
A new study suggests that these extremely cold temperatures are linked to a growing pattern in the polar vortex, a low-pressure zone that typically rotates over the Arctic. Disruptions to the vortex cause it to warp and stretch, sending cold air into Canada and the United States. These disruptions are becoming more common as the Arctic warms.
“The vast majority of these extended events involve extremely cold and severe winter weather, heavy snowfall, and deep snow,” study co-author Judah Cohen, director of seasonal forecasting at the Center for Atmospheric and Environmental Research and a visiting scholar at MIT, told Live Science.
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Sourse: www.livescience.com
