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Polar Vortex Sends Life-Threatening Freeze To US

Posted by samzenpus on from the a-bit-chilly dept.

Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "Reuters reports that the Midwestern United States is shivering through the region's lowest temperatures in twenty years as forecasters warn that life-threatening cold is heading eastward as a polar vortex of freezing Arctic weather sweeps across the United States. 'The coldest temperatures in almost two decades will spread into the northern and central U.S. today behind an arctic cold front,' says the National Weather Service. 'Combined with gusty winds, these temperatures will result in life-threatening wind chill values as low as 60 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit/minus 51 degrees Celsius).' The coldest temperature reported in the lower 48 states on Sunday was minus 40 F (-40 C) in the towns of Babbitt and Embarrass, Minnesota. Meteorologists warn that the wind-chill factor could make it feel twice as cold, causing frostbite to exposed parts of the body within minutes. Eleven people have already died in weather-related incidents in the past week, including a 71-year-old woman with Alzheimer's who wandered from her home in upstate New York and was found frozen to death only 100m away. Polar vortexes occur seasonally at the North Pole, and their formation resembles that of hurricanes in more tropical regions: fast-moving winds build up around a calm center. Unlike a hurricane, these are frigid polar winds, circling the Arctic at more than 100 miles per hour. The spinning winds typically trap this cold air in the Arctic. But the problem comes when the polar vortex weakens or splits apart, essentially flinging these cold wind patterns out of the Arctic and into our backyards. 'All the ingredients are there for a near-record or historic cold outbreak,' says meteorologist Ryan Maue. 'If you're under 40, you've not seen this stuff before.'"

6 of 684 comments (clear)

  1. Cue the climate change deniers ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    All the drooling idiots who think climate change means things get uniformly wrong will immediately say "it's colder, so global climate change isn't happening".

    When, in fact, these kinds of things are predicted as suddenly the weather patterns change and things move around differently.

    1. Re:Cue the climate change deniers ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

      I love how you call it "Climate Change" now, and have abandoned Global Warming. Fucking Hippies need to always have something to whine over. I have news for you - this is the coldest it's been since 1994 around here. People with welders are running around thawing pipes and making a mint doing it - pretty sure they're not idiots, drooling or otherwise. Empirical evidence provides a slam-dunk conclusion here of global cooling. I can look right outside my window and see it.

    2. Re:Cue the climate change deniers ... by PortHaven · · Score: 0, Troll

      And they are rising, at a rate far far less than predicted by all your models. Nor have they risen to temperatures that exceed recent human history past. And are far far from anywhere close to the ancient past of the planet.

      Furthermore, your basis or increase in temperature mostly focuses on a few decades. Dismissed global warming that transpired on other celestrial bodies in our solar system during the same time. Has a habit of touting every storm or weather incident (even earthquakes) as proof of global warming, but denying those same incidents as proof against global warming. While yes, we did have some of the hottest years in recent record during the late 90's. We have also had some of the coldest incidents in recorded history in recent years as well. Northern, southern, east, and west hemispheres have experienced extreme incidences of cold.

    3. Re:Cue the climate change deniers ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

      Empirical evidence provides a slam-dunk conclusion here of global cooling. I can look right outside my window and see it.

      1) You are confusing weather and climate.

      2) Actual hard data verifies that the earth is getting warmer.

      3) You are a stupid fuck. I used to be a dope smoking hippie and I could kick
      your ass so badly your fucking nose would bleed. So shut the fuck up, you
      redneck Republican moron faggot.

      /

  2. Global Warming by Conspiracy_Of_Doves · · Score: 0, Troll

    This will be used as an excuse to say that global warming isn't real by people who don't know what they are talking about.

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    Technoli
  3. Re:Threatning the midwest! by magic+maverick+ · · Score: -1, Troll

    I hope all you Americunts do die of cold. Save the rest of us some heart-ache and suffering.

    Bring the frozen USA!

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    HELP MY ACCOUNT HAS BEEN HACKED BY AN ILLIBERAL ART STUDENT SET TO DESTROY THE INTERWEBZ!