Jan. 26 ushered in a polar vortex that hit Canada, the Midwest and much of the Northeast, bringing with it frigid temperatures and major wind chills. The wind chill made already cold temperatures significantly colder.

According to CBS, upwards of 100 million people were affected by the frigid temperatures. In many places, the cold was so extreme that frostbite developed on exposed skin in less than five minutes.

People have used the term “polar vortex” as far back as the 19th century, when it was first documented by scientists. But what exactly is a polar vortex?

According to NASA, a polar vortex is an area of extremely cold air and low pressure that swirls over the Arctic. When warm air from outside of the Arctic region disturbs the vortex, it causes the extremely cold air to move south.

This year, the polar vortex affected mainly the Midwest region of the United States, with temperatures dropping as low as -61 degrees Fahrenheit (factoring in wind chill) in Grand Forks, N.D., according to Forbes.

In Elizabethtown, the temperature dropped to -4 degrees Fahrenheit during the polar vortex, according to weather.com.

These lows were almost record-breaking in many states, according to CBS. In Iowa, the record low is now -47 degrees Fahrenheit, which occurred Jan. 12; it replaced a record from 1996.

Because of these extremes, some people have jumped to blaming this polar vortex on climate change. However, the debate on whether or not these weather events are linked to climate change is still a hot topic.

Some scientists agree that the overall warming of the Earth is causing more warm air, which in turn disturbs polar vortexes more frequently. In addition to this, climate change is causing a more unpredictable and weaker jet stream, which could push these vortexes further south than in years past.

Other scientists, however, are hesitant to blame it all on climate change. Research is still very active in studying the effect of climate change on these low temperatures, if there is an effect at all.

While many scientists are intrigued by this theory, according to CBS, they agree that more updated models of climate change are necessary to the further study of the possible connection between climate change and polar vortexes. null

Expert Corner:
Dr. David Bowne, Associate Professor of Biologynull

Dr. David Bowne, associate professor of biology, described a polar vortex as an area of both low pressure and cold air around both the north and south poles. He said that we only feel it when the jet stream that surrounds it weakens, causing it to move toward the middle latitudes.

“A strong, stable polar vortex stays in the Arctic as it is trapped by a strong jet stream,” Bowne said via email. “That’s why it’s so cold – all that frigid arctic air moving south.”

Bowne mentioned that cold weather can only be referred to as a polar vortex when the Arctic air “escapes its normal boundaries and moves south.” The main reason for this: the source of the cold air is different. He explained that many weather events can bring cold air, but only a polar vortex has Arctic air.

Many of the low temperatures recorded during the recent polar vortex had wind chill factored into them. According to Bowne, wind chill refers to the effect that wind has on taking heat away from people’s bodies. Human bodies release a lot of heat, which warms the air around hem. The wind, however, moves that warm air away from the body, bringing cold air with it.

Since the heat always moves from higher to lower temperatures, according to Bowne, the greater temperature difference between the environment and the body results in heat being lost to the surrounding air. Since the wind keeps cold air near the body, people lose more heat on a windy day than on a still day, even if the temperature is the same.

“It’s a little like blowing on soup to cool it down. Our blowing of air across the soup brings in cooler air, and the soup loses more heat to warm up the air,” Bowne said.

Like other researchers, Bowne agrees that more data and a greater understanding of polar vortexes and climate change are needed to definitively link them together. However, he mentioned that after hearing a lecture by Dr. Jennifer Francis, a climatologist at Woods Hole, in 2014 at the Bowers Writers House, there is a strong case for the argument that climate change has a strong influence on polar vortexes breaking loose from their jet streams and moving to the middle latitudes.

“All lines of current evidence point to climate change,” Bowne said in reference to the link between climate change and polar vortexes migrating south.

“Jay Talk”
Student Quotes from Around Campus

“The recent polar vortex was very bad for students who commute, have disabilities, have previous injuries and even professors who have to drive or take public transport.”
~ Celeste Workman, sophomore

“Hearing that the polar vortex sends extremely cold air but can be interrupted by warmer air from the south makes sense to me, since some days have been freezing cold but other days have gotten warmer briefly.”
~ Anonymous

“The bitter cold, snow and wind made walking around campus difficult. I saw many people slip when I was walking to classes.”
~ Lydia Lawson, junior

“I think school administration should have responded more appropriately (i.e., actually closed).”
~ Anonymous