Winter’s wild side just went full-on extreme! The Polar Vortex swept across America, freezing cities, grounding flights, and making everyone wonder—why is it getting so intense? Join us as we break down what’s behind these icy storms, why they’re causing chaos, and what they could mean for the future. From record-breaking chills to mind-blowing weather science, this video has it all. Don’t miss it! #brightside
Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/
Listen to Bright Side on: Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/idhttps-podcasts-apple-com-podcast-bright-side/id1554898078 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brightside/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official/ Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Snapchat - https://www.snapchat.com/p/c6a1e38a-bff1-4a40-9731-2c8234ccb19f/1866144599336960
Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me
00:00In the winter of 2019, the American Midwest and Northeast turned into a real-life disaster movie.
00:07I'm talking about that time when temperatures dropped to negative 63 degrees Fahrenheit.
00:12There were massive flight cancellations and power outages,
00:16dozens of injured people, and shut down schools and offices.
00:20Simply going outside became highly risky.
00:22And if you're looking for someone to blame for all this, I've got two words for you.
00:27Polar vortex.
00:28That's not some scary storm, but a huge mass of cold air that's normally spinning counterclockwise around the poles.
00:36When it's summer up in the Northern Hemisphere, the vortex stays further north, and in the winter, it heads south a bit.
00:43The term polar vortex has been around since the late 1940s.
00:47It shows up every winter and calls it quits in the spring.
00:50But for about the last 20 years, this polar vortex has been acting weird in the middle of winter.
00:55It looks like it either splits or becomes displaced once every other year.
01:01At the bottom of this vortex is what they call the polar front, or the polar jet stream.
01:06This jet stream moves from west to east, which is why places like the northeastern part of North America get hammered by that chilly polar vortex weather.
01:15These jet streams zip along because of differences in temperature and the Earth's spin.
01:21When there's a big gap in temperatures, the winds really pick up speed.
01:25In spots like the equator, where the sun's rays are more intense, the air heats up and starts to rise.
01:33And as it goes up, it leaves behind a sort of empty space, taking in air from all around, kind of like a huge vacuum cleaner.
01:41But over at the poles, where it's way chillier, the air shrinks and sinks, forming areas of high pressure.
01:47It's like a bunch of air molecules trying to spread out, like a group of school kids on a big field.
01:53So you've got these two forces at play, warm air rising and cold air sinking.
01:59Air wants to zoom from the poles down to the equator with this setup.
02:04The jet streams tend to hang out where airplanes fly, about 30,000 feet in the air.
02:09Pilots often use them to zoom across the sky faster and save some fuel.
02:13But these jet streams aren't always the good guys, as they can bring all sorts of weather changes, like cold snaps and heat waves.
02:22When the polar jet stream is strong and cruising at about the same level as the Vorjax,
02:27it kind of locks in that cold Arctic air within the Arctic Circle.
02:31Every now and then, the jet stream takes a chill pill and starts moving around the planet in a wavy pattern called Arctic Oscillations.
02:39This creates peaks and troughs that allow warmer air from down south to head north, and the chilly Arctic air to take a trip south.
02:50In the northern hemisphere, there are two polar vortexes.
02:54One in the lower atmosphere, known as the troposphere, and another higher up in the stratosphere.
03:00The stratospheric vortex forms as cold, dense air sinks and twirls near the North Pole.
03:05The mightier the vortex, the quicker it spins, keeping cold air locked over the high latitudes.
03:12When someone or something messes with the polar vortex, it goes haywire.
03:17Picture a spinning top.
03:19Give the table a shake, and it'll start wobbling.
03:21When the polar vortex loses strength, it can't corral the cold air anymore.
03:26So, blasts of icy Arctic air surge southward over North America.
03:30The polar vortex isn't a fixed object, but more like a living being.
03:36It gets stirred up by ripples on Earth's surface, triggered by stuff like air flowing over mountains or across land and sea, all warming up differently.
03:45If our planet were as smooth as glass, with oceans wrapping all around, the polar vortex would just chill out, never breaking up.
03:53But every time a wave smacks into it, it gives the vortex a push.
03:58Sometimes, one of these waves packs enough punch to shove the vortex off the pole or even spin it in reverse.
04:06And when that happens, the temperature in the polar stratosphere can skyrocket by a whopping 50 degrees in just a week.
04:14The Arctic's polar vortex started spinning in the opposite direction in March 2024 and got scientists worried.
04:21It's one of the six strongest flips since the 70s.
04:25This time around, it hasn't caused any chaos.
04:29Sometimes, the waves of air affecting the vortex get strong enough to split it into two parts.
04:36Kind of like how a cell divides.
04:38They're called daughter vortices, and they even add more chaos to the mix.
04:43When the vortex splits, one chunk usually heads over Siberia, while the other cruises over North America.
04:49Once that split goes down, the jet stream and the troposphere above the Atlantic decides to take a southern vacation.
04:57That jet stream usually acts like a bouncer, keeping the chilly Arctic air up near the pole.
05:03But when it heads south, that Arctic air gets a green light to crash the party in places like the East Coast, the Midwest, and even Western Europe.
05:11The storms that usually ride along with the jet stream follow along and head south, too.
05:17They take their time to get organized and catch up with the new path of the jet.
05:22So, instead of hitting up Canada like they usually do, they swing by New York and Chicago for a change of scenery.
05:30Scientists still don't know why the polar vortex doesn't mess with the U.S. Pacific coast.
05:35It might have something to do with where the jet streams hang out in each basin.
05:40Over in the Atlantic, the jet stream kicks it at higher latitudes, while in the Pacific, it's chilling closer to the equator.
05:48It might also have to do with the landscape.
05:51In the Atlantic, the air has zipped over the Rocky Mountains, stirring up waves off tall peaks that mess with the jet stream.
05:58But in the Pacific, the jet stream is away from any big mountains that could cause trouble.
06:05The recent reversal of the polar vortex is unlikely to make the temperatures drop extremely.
06:12But scientists aren't sure what's going to happen to the polar jet stream in the future.
06:16They're concerned that the chilly polar air might make more trips down to the mid-latitudes and bring along more chilly spells in the long run.
06:24So, it's better to be prepared.
06:26When the news tells you there's a huge winter storm coming and power outages are highly likely, fill your bathtub with water.
06:34If you have an electric water pump, it won't work and you'll run out of water soon.
06:39Gas stations also run on electricity.
06:42So, fill your car tank before the storm hits to have some emergency gas.
06:47When the storm arrives and you're locked in, put on several layers of warm clothes,
06:52thermal wear, a warm shirt, a sweater, and insulated pants and woolen socks.
06:58Don't forget mittens so the heat doesn't escape through your hands.
07:01Hang dark blankets on your windows to dry and heat.
07:05Make sure your doors and windows are closed well, and put some towels under them to prevent drafts.
07:11Your basement is probably more insulated by the ground, so it could be a good place to spend the night.
07:17To warm up the cold winter bed in your home, fill a bottle with hot water and place it in your core region under the cover.
07:24The water will heat up your vital fluids traveling through your body, reaching all the extremities, and warming you up in no time.
07:31You can also wrap your pajamas around the bottle before putting them on for an extra effect.
07:36When the power comes back on, check all your appliances and electronics before turning on the main power switch.
07:43They must be unplugged to avoid power surge damage.
07:46As you turn the water supply back on, keep the taps on the lowest level of your house closed to let the air out from the upper taps.
07:54That's it for today.
07:57So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
08:02Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the bright side!
Be the first to comment