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!
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