What was the worst polar vortex?

What was the worst polar vortex?

January–February 2019 North American cold wave. In late January 2019, a severe cold wave caused by a weakened jet stream around the Arctic polar vortex hit the Midwestern United States and Eastern Canada, killing at least 22 people.

Was there a polar vortex in 2013?

The 2013–14 North American winter was one of the most significant for the United States, due in part to the breakdown of the polar vortex in November 2013, which allowed very cold air to travel down into the United States, leading to an extended period of very cold temperatures.

What caused the 2014 polar vortex?

Beginning on January 2, 2014, sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) led to the breakdown of the semi-permanent feature across the Arctic known as the polar vortex. With extensive snow-cover across Canada and Siberia, Arctic air had no trouble remaining extremely cold as it was forced southward into the United States.

Will we have a polar vortex in 2021?

A new stratospheric Polar Vortex has now emerged over the North Pole and will continue to strengthen well into the Winter of 2021/2022. This interaction happens every few years and has actually brought colder winters to Europe and the United States in the past.

What happens if the polar vortex collapse?

The breakdown of the polar vortex is an extreme event known as a sudden stratospheric warming, here the vortex completely breaks down and an associated warming of 30–50 °C (54–90 °F) over a few days can occur.

Is another Polar Vortex coming 2022?

Stratospheric Polar Vortex returns for Winter 2021/2022, together with a strong easterly wind anomaly high above the Equator, impacting the Winter season.

What is a polar vortex and why does it happen?

A polar vortex is a low-pressure system of cold polar air—a normal weather phenomenon. But during the 2013-2014 winter, a high-pressure system in the Pacific pushed the northern polar vortex southward, contributing to North America’s cold, snowy and icy winter. Snow blanketed the mountains in the western United States by December 2013.

How many people were affected by the polar vortex in 2013?

Altogether, more than 200 million people were affected, in an area ranging from the Rocky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean and extending south to include roughly 187 million residents of the Continental United States. The typical polar vortex configuration in November 2013. An abnormal polar vortex on January 5, 2014.

What was the North American cold wave of 2014?

The early 2014 North American cold wave was an extreme weather event that extended through the late winter months of the 2013–2014 winter season, and was also part of an unusually cold winter affecting parts of Canada and parts of the north-central and upper eastern United States.