Have you ever wondered what makes the weather bitterly cold? The only thing one can think of as a contributing element is the winter season. The polar vortex, on the other hand, is a natural phenomenon that causes cold weather.
This low pressured artic region consisting of circulating frigid air expands near the north pole, bringing cold air southward. The phenomenon occurs on a regular basis and is frequently linked to cold weather outbreaks in the United States.
How does the Polar vortex impact the US?
This low-pressure system, which is full of arctic air, might weaken and move away from its regular position on occasion. As the system weakens, some of the cold, arctic air may break off and flow south, bringing with it plenty of chilly air. As a result, arctic weather might reach as far south as Florida.
A satellite image of Earth shows white clouds being driven across the brown and green plains of the United States by arctic winds. When the low-pressure system is strong and healthy, the jet stream follows a circular route around the Earth.
The jet stream is a zone of consistently strong wind that keeps colder air to the north and warmer air to the south. The weakening of the vortex causes the low-pressure system to split off, resulting in cold weather in the US.
Appearance of Peculiar entity, “Ice pancakes”
The polar vortex brings the cold temperature to the United States, whereas currently discovered phenomena ice pancakes take place when the temperature is below freezing. This peculiar, yet uniquely shaped entity forms only in lakes, oceans, and rivers.
The variation in temperature causes water bodies to create such elliptical-shaped discs with round edges. The formation of ice pancakes bumps with one another through ocean waves. Ice pancakes start as a thin ice coating on the water’s surface before building into circular discs with diameters ranging from one to ten feet.
According to the National Snow & Ice Data Center, loose ice crystals will form into a pancake-like shape if the body of water has a turbulent current. Well, the polar vortex or ice pancakes, both seem to appear because of cold weather and are apparently because of variation in the freezing point. The phenomena may affect the US but are only a result of natural causes.
