Stratospheric warming is sending Chicago to the deep freeze
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By Tammie Souza, FOX 32 News Weekend Meteorologist - bio | email
CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) -
Frigid Arctic air has been pent up across the Hudson Bay area for several weeks now stuck under the influence a strong polar area of low pressure also known as the "polar vortex."
But now that polar freezer is about to be flung open in our direction because that polar vortex has been weakened by something known as "sudden stratospheric warming." This occurs when large atmospheric Rossby waves, which circle the Earth dividing areas of extreme cold and hot air, extend themselves beyond the lower layer of the atmosphere known as the troposphere and enter the stratosphere above.
Through a complex process this affects the polar vortex allowing it to weaken and spread cold air southward into the eastern 2/3 of the United States. It is expected that this pattern will persist through February and possibly March with few if any warm-ups.
Bottom line is Winter may be starting late, but it's arriving with a bang. Temperatures in the Chicago area Monday and Tuesday will struggle to reach upper single digits and teens with overnight lows at or below zero.
Tuesday, January 22 2013 2:26 PM EST2013-01-22 19:26:59 GMT
Chicago ended an impressive 711 day streak without a sub-zero temperature Tuesday morning. That is the 4th longest such stretch since records began in 1871.
Chicago ended an impressive 711 day streak without a sub-zero temperature Tuesday morning. That is the 4th longest such stretch since records began in 1871.
Friday, January 18 2013 11:18 PM EST2013-01-19 04:18:05 GMT
Frigid Arctic air has been pent up across the Hudson Bay area for several weeks now stuck under the influence a strong polar area of low pressure also known as the "polar vortex."
Frigid Arctic air has been pent up across the Hudson Bay area for several weeks now stuck under the influence a strong polar area of low pressure also known as the "polar vortex."
Friday, January 18 2013 3:41 PM EST2013-01-18 20:41:23 GMT
The U.S. drought of 2012 is considered the worst since the 1950s, but there appears to be some brief relief.
The U.S. drought of 2012 is considered the worst since the 1950s, but there appears to be some brief relief thanks to recent soaking rains stretching from the south through the southeast and the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic states.
Monday, December 3 2012 7:18 PM EST2012-12-04 00:18:16 GMT
Warm, moist air streamed into the Chicago area today and although we were blanketed in fog and clouds, the temperatures soared to record highs between 68 and 72 degrees.
Warm, moist air streamed into the Chicago area today and although we were blanketed in fog and clouds, the temperatures soared to record highs between 68 and 72 degrees.
