The big storm that’s been blanketing the northeast with snow this morning,
snow plows out in force.

Much of the country is bracing for a second row of severe winter weather.

Back here at home, weather’s a big story, a major winter storm system is plowing across the country.

polar jet stream
Millions of people have been impacted by extreme winter storms over the past few weeks. In parts of Montana, temperatures dropped to negative 50 degrees fahrenheit—well below freezing—and in Nebraska, some places recorded snowfall of up to 2 feet.

Extreme winters can be very dangerous. Power lines can fall and leave people without electricity, pipes can burst and reduce water supplies, and icy roads can put lives at risk.

Being able to predict and prepare for the next cold snap can help keep people safe.

To make more confident predictions, climate scientists aim to learn more about the causes of extreme weather. Winter conditions in the United States are influenced by many different phenomena, like the polar jet stream.

The polar jet stream is a band of strong winds that goes around the Arctic. It’s like a boundary separating cold regions in the north from warm regions to the south. The path of the polar jet stream dips up and down. Usually, the path stays around the Arctic. This leads to normal winter conditions in the United States.

But sometimes, the polar jet stream can dip very far south.

When this happens, cold air from the Arctic dips south too. This is why so many places across the United States have experienced a cold snap in recent weeks. However, extreme winter storms don’t happen every year, nor at exactly the same time. So climate scientists are trying to figure out why and when the polar jet stream moves south.

This will help them to make more confident predictions about the next cold snap, giving people enough time to brace themselves and stay safe.

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