Polar vortex cold looms as U.S hammered by dangerous winter weather

(NEXSTAR) – After a largely calm end to 2023, a cold jet stream from the polar vortex is expected to descend on parts of the U.S. later this week, resulting in several deaths, heavy snow and tornadoes on Tuesday. This is likely to add to the chaotic January that was reported. .

A polar vortex refers to frigid air that flows counterclockwise around the North Pole, about 15 to 30 miles above Earth. Vortices are always present, but they become even stronger during the winter.

But in some cases, large atmospheric waves or warmer temperatures can weaken the polar vortex, disrupting the steady rotation of the jet stream and forcing colder air south while warmer air is sucked back into the North Pole.

“Last week there was a small disruption of the polar vortex (the direction of the vortex's winds completely reversed, but it did not become a 'major' event). This could increase the chance of cold air on the U.S. East Coast and the Arctic. Europe in particular will continue for the next 10 to 12 days,” Amy Butler, an atmospheric scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told Nexstar in a statement.

Butler wrote Tuesday that a stratospheric polar vortex is “currently spreading across North America” ​​and could bring frigid air from the polar jet stream to the central United States.

For example, residents of Cleveland are already bracing for cold weather as an anticyclone originating north of the Arctic Circle interacts with the Himalayas.

“This interaction caused a ripple effect that cascaded into the upper atmosphere.” WJW Meteorologist Scott Sabol said.. “This helped disrupt the polar vortex and weaken the jet stream. Extreme warming at the top of the atmosphere (called stratospheric warming) shifted the polar vortex and jet stream.”

Sabol expects temperatures to drop Saturday night into Sunday, with frigid air potentially lasting for several weeks.

Butler said it remains difficult to directly attribute cold weather forecasts in the Midwest to the polar vortex, and that changes in the polar vortex “may help 'load the dice' for a cold front, but “Many factors need to come together for such weather to occur.”

By early next week model The bone-chilling cold is here to stay across much of the U.S. “It looks like it's going to peak in the central U.S. early next week and then drift east a little, but the bitter cold is likely to avoid big cities along the East Coast. It seems that WSYRDave Longley.

As for the rest of winter in this El Niño year, Butler said there are several scenarios in which the polar vortex could become more unstable during January, but long-term forecasts are uncertain beyond mid-month. said.

Storm wreaks havoc across the South and Midwest

A major storm battered the southern state of Florida on Tuesday, prompting tornado warnings and high winds that tore roofs off homes, overturned campers and hurled furniture. Another storm crippled Midwestern cities with more than half a foot of snow, leaving people stranded on highways heading into the Northeast.

At least three deaths in the South were attributed to the storm, which had 55 mph winds and hail moving through the Florida Panhandle into parts of Alabama and Georgia by sunrise Tuesday, with no visible radar confirmation. There were also reports of at least a few tornadoes, the National Weather newspaper said. Service said. Wind gusts of 166 mph were recorded near the coast of Walton County, Florida, before dawn.

In Florida, injuries were reported as a result of the storm, but no deaths were reported. Part of Panama City Beach, Florida It showed that part of the roof had been blown off.furniture, fences, and debris were strewn about, and the house appeared to be tilted to the side and leaning against another house.

About 10 miles away, in Panama City, police told residents early Tuesday to stay indoors and stay off the streets “unless absolutely necessary” as they assessed storm damage, including downed power lines and trees. requested.

The city is in Bay County and there were multiple reports of tornadoes on the ground, Sheriff Tommy Ford said in a short Facebook Live post.

“We have been rescuing people from buildings,” he said.

The National Weather Service office in Tallahassee sent three tornado investigation teams Wednesday and plans to send two more on Thursday. Three teams will investigate suspected tornado damage in Florida's Walton, Bay and Jackson counties Wednesday. Both teams will survey damage in Houston County, Alabama, and Calhoun County, Georgia on Thursday.

Meanwhile, in the Midwest, The snowstorm started on Monday, up to 12 inches of snow could cover a wide area from southeastern Colorado to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. That includes western Kansas, eastern Nebraska, much of Iowa, northern Missouri and northwestern Illinois, said Bob Oravec, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.

A cold front brought temperatures below freezing in parts of Arizona early Tuesday morning, with the National Weather Service reporting a low of -17 degrees in Snowbowl in northern Arizona. In northeastern New Mexico, snow plows spent hours clearing Route 56 Monday afternoon, freeing more than 25 stranded vehicles, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The storm is expected to move east from the Midwest, bringing snow, rain and high winds to the Northeast by Tuesday night, raising flooding concerns in areas such as New England, where some parts have seen more than a foot of water. is also appearing. Snowy Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.