What is the Polar Vortex & changing it up this weekend

I suggested last week that "Polar Vortex" would be all over the news headlines this week. Polar Vortex is not something that was just made up for this latest cold snap and it has been around longer than most of us have been alive. Just look at the 7 a.m. wind chills from across the region. This is the kind of cold you get with the Polar Vortex. 

So what exactly is it?

Polar - because that's where this entire setup originates and the air that surrounds it is VERY cold - just like you'd expect to find at the North Pole. It strengthens in wintertime when the Earth is tilted away from the sun and there's no daylight to help warm the polar areas. So the bitter, even dangerous cold continues to grow and expand. 

Vortex - Because of it's counter-clockwise circulation, it gets the name vortex. It's not uncommon for there to be some brief periods of snow showers that rotate around the entire setup, but it's typically not a widespread snow making machine (unless you are right next to the Great Lakes, then you can get some heavier snowfalls)

So when you hear about Polar Vortex, please understand it really is a part of meteorology and not something that social media created. And it's not something that just impacts the United States and Canada.

Changes to watch this weekend:

We will turn our attention back to the west (instead of the north) as a powerful storm hits California. This system will break into parts, with one piece moving into the Plains by Super Bowl Sunday. Kansas should remain dry, but just north of us there is a chance for a rain/snow mix. 

Our next best chance for some precipitation will come Tuesday  with a few rain showers that may skirt the area. There could be some snow mixed in, but it's unlikely to be much of a storm in our area.