Majority of U.S. States remain frozen as Arctic weather extreme leaves its mark

Subject: Geography

Section: Climatology

Context:

Sub-freezing temperatures and dangerous road conditions have led to at least 72 deaths in the U.S. this January, with states as far south as Texas and Florida affected by deadly arctic weather. Many of the deaths were due to hypothermia or road accidents. However, the extreme cold is expected to ease in the coming days.

Details:

Residents are facing challenges with basic needs like cooking and sanitation, relying on limited bottled water distribution.
The cold weather has also been deadly. Travel remains hazardous in parts of Kansas and Oklahoma due to freezing rain and high winds, while Iowa is experiencing extremely low wind chills.
As temperatures are predicted to rise, there are concerns about the potential for bursting pipes.

End in sight:

The U.S. is seeing the end of the recent subzero temperatures.
The National Weather Service anticipates a steady warm-up for the central part of the country due to no additional influx of Arctic air from Canada.
However, on the West Coast, particularly in the Columbia River Gorge, freezing rain is forecasted, with temperatures staying near or below freezing.
This weather could lead to more ice accumulation on trees and power lines, increasing the risk of them toppling.
The National Weather Service has warned of hazards from chunks of falling ice.

Why do extreme cold weather events still happen in a warming world?

These severe cold events occur when the polar jet stream – the familiar jet stream of winter that runs along the boundary between the Arctic and more temperate air – dips deeply southward, bringing the cold Arctic air to regions that don’t often experience it.
They often occur in association with changes to another river of air even higher above the jet stream: the stratospheric polar vortex, a great stream of air moving around the North Pole in the middle of the stratosphere.
When this stratospheric vortex becomes disrupted or stretched, it can distort the jet stream as well, pushing it southward in some areas and causing cold air outbreaks.

Places in news:

Source: TH