Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The term polar vortex can be used to describe two distinct phenomena; the stratospheric polar vortex, and the tropospheric polar vortex. The stratospheric and tropospheric polar vortices both rotate in the direction of the Earth's spin, but they are distinct phenomena that have different sizes, structures, seasonal cycles, and impacts on weather.
The polar vortex is a gigantic, circular area of cold air high up in the atmosphere that typically spins over the North Pole (as its name suggests). The polar vortex is a gigantic, circular area ...
AccuWeather forecasters break down the science behind the polar vortex and how it can influence the weather for locations thousands of miles away. While the name for this phenomenon may sound ...
As ominous as the term polar vortex sounds, meteorologists say the phenomenon is not new, nor despite its sound does it refer to a cyclone of cold or a freakishly dangerous storm. "The term 'polar ...
The northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere each have a polar jet around their respective polar vortex at around 30,000 ft (5.7 mi; 9.1 km) above sea level and typically travelling at around 110 mph (180 km/h) although often considerably faster. [2] Closer to the equator and somewhat higher and somewhat weaker is a subtropical jet. [2]
In general, vortex lines (in particular, the axis line) are either closed loops or end at the boundary of the fluid. A whirlpool is an example of the latter, namely a vortex in a body of water whose axis ends at the free surface. A vortex tube whose vortex lines are all closed will be a closed torus-like surface.
The polar vortex is a large area of low-pressure and cold air surrounding both of the Earth’s poles, according to the weather service. It always exists near the poles.
The polar vortex drives fluctuations in winter temperatures in the middle latitudes. Climatologist Judah Cohen and others proposed climate change in the Arctic was causing the vortex to waver, bringing cold air south to the Midwestern United States , which was then replaced by warm tropical air.