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When the polar vortex is strong, it maintains its cylindrical shape and keeps the cold air trapped within that cylinder at the pole (like those blowing air barr
by kstenerud 4y ago
When the polar vortex is strong, it maintains its cylindrical shape and keeps the cold air trapped within that cylinder at the pole (like those blowing air barriers on the doors to shops in the summer that blow air down and stop the cold air from escaping the store).
When warmer air masses push into the polar region in the fall (which happens more often now due to global warming), it disrupts and weakens the polar vortex and leaves open channels for the cold air to escape during the winter. This cold air then cools parts of the Northern hemisphere, causing pockets of cold (generally to the South), while the warmer air also bunches up and causes pockets of warm (generally to the North).
The end result is wild temperature and weather swings during Winter (colder in the Eastern USA and Europe - see the last two images in the article), and we're in for a doozy this year.
- michaelwww 4y agoSo this is how Texas froze over and lost power a couple of years ago (as I understand what you said)
- midoridensha 4y agoIt'll be pretty funny, in a grim way, if it happens again this year. Honestly, I don't expect Texans to have learned from that experience.
- loxias 4y agoIt's actually happened multiple times already, 1989, 2011, as well as 2021. After 2011 (during which there was rolling blackouts, boil-water advisories) an advisory board made recommendations for upgrading the infrastructure. The advice was of course ignored and Gov. Abbott later disbanded the division responsible for oversight -- can't have any pesky government regulations!
- michaelwww 4y agoI guess it depends on who wins in November
- antifa 4y agoPoor Texans with no political power will learning this lesson over and over again.
- midoridensha 4y agoThey have political power: they can vote. But they keep voting for the party that causes these problems, so I don't have any sympathy.
- sneak 4y agoI am curious which party in Texas has jurisdiction over the polar atmosphere.
- midoridensha 4y agoThey have jurisdiction over how they design and build their electric distribution and generation infrastructure to cope with weather problems.