A blast of frigid air from the Arctic has descended into the United States, causing temperatures to plummet across the country. This phenomenon, known as the polar vortex, is becoming more frequent due to changes in the climate.
The jet stream, a high-altitude air current that typically moves weather systems, has dipped sharply from the Pacific Northwest to the Southeast, bringing cold air from Canada and the Arctic southward. This has resulted in temperatures well below historical averages in many parts of the eastern U.S., with some areas experiencing overnight lows in the single digits or even below zero.
Experts describe this event as a stretching of the polar vortex, a band of cold air that is normally confined to the Arctic region. The warming of the Arctic, which is happening at a much faster rate than the rest of the world, is contributing to these disruptions in the polar vortex.
While winters globally are on average warmer than they were 25 years ago, the occurrence of cold outbreaks like the current one is not unexpected. Climate change does not eliminate cold weather but rather alters the overall temperature patterns on a global scale.
It is important to note that this cold snap is a short-term weather event within the larger context of climate change, which unfolds over years and decades. The impact of climate change is evident in the changing dynamics of the polar vortex and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events.
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