Editorial
9
As we bundle up in our thick blankets, lounging near the fire as our cold houses have been stripped of power, some may wonder why we have been receiving all of these arctic elements for winter. The reason for the frigid weather is a polar vortex. A polar vortex is an arctic cyclone that originates and hovers near the North and South Poles. The vortex from the North Pole is being pushed into North America, which happens very rarely, meaning that this type of Arctic climate hasn’t occurred in over two decades. The polar vortex is an area of low pressure in the upper atmosphere. The vortex itself is nothing new (it is semi-permanent and has been around the poles for ages), but it making an adventure down into the northern United States is why this vortex has gained such notoriety. The vortex is stronger in the winter, due to a contrast in the poles and mid-latitudes. The vortex often breaks off into the Baffin Islands, Canada, and northern Siberia. One of its sections was swept towards southern Canada and the northern United States. This frigid foe continued to barrage the north and northeastern sections of the US, and were predicted to stay until the first or second week of March occurs. The upper Midwest has had an especially brutal winter, having most of its cities experiencing top-10 coldest Februaries on record.
On February 6th, the polar vortex caused 86% of all of Chester County to lose power, where most homes had no power for at least 36 hours. So far, we have had ten snow days in our Tredyffrin Easttown School District. On February 12th, western Pennsylvania felt wind chills 30°F below 0, temperatures that can instantly initiate frostbite. The weather was predicted to lighten up a bit, but we expected to have scattered snow showers on Wednesday, February 26th. Record-setting cold temperatures were possible for the High Plains, Upper Midwest and Great Lakes. Lastly, strong storms were predicted for the last day of February and the first day of March.
-ALEX M