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Polar vortex
February 2 , 2019
2195 days
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- Many parts of the northern United States are experiencing record cold temperatures during the first week of February, attributed to the polar vortex.
- Polar vortex is a band of strong winds high in the atmosphere around the north pole that normally keeps bitterly cold air locked around the Arctic region.
- They are called ‘vortexes’ because of the mass of cold, dense air that spins counter-clockwise like a hurricane.
- Normally, the cold air remains in the far north.
- However, higher temperatures than usual in the Arctic region have forced it to travel south.
- The vortex has broken into two air masses, with one sitting over North America and the other over Europe and northern Asia.
- It is capable of delivering sub-zero temperatures in the new areas for several days at a time.
- 2014 polar vortex was notable because it recurred throughout the winter months.
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