More snow showers are coming to Chicago this weekend but it is National Geographic’s polar vortex prediction that has our attention.
Scattered snow showers will fall across Chicago today peaking this afternoon. The National Weather Service has said that there could be localized accumulations and though it won’t be anything drastic, be wary of changing visibility and slippery roads.
Scattered snow showers will prevail today. The snow will come down hard when it snows, so prepare for sharply changing visibility and reduce travel speeds if on roadways. #ilwx #inwx pic.twitter.com/zYfYPwNB2Z
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) January 15, 2021
The snowfall will continue over the weekend, decreasing on Sunday, and likely stopping altogether from Monday. Accumulations are expected and could result in slushy parts of Chicago.
Periods of snow are expected through early next week. While we're not anticipating significant snow accumulations, be on the lookout for slick spots on roadways.#ilwx #inwx pic.twitter.com/2D9wxyuvp4
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) January 15, 2021
With the Midwest’s winter intensifying we’ve been put on alarm by news reports earlier this week due to the rumored high odds of a polar vortex. Last week CNN reported that the polar vortex appears to be on the move, stating that the stratospheric warming is occurring at high altitudes above the North Pole. This in turn boosts the possibility that cold air could be pushed southward into the United States later this month for an unpredictable duration.
National Geographic then shared an image of ice built up along the shore of Lake Michigan in January 2019 when temperatures in Chicago dipped to around -20 due to the last polar vortex. With it they warned that a recent spike in Arctic temperatures from about minus 92 degrees Fahrenheit to 8 degrees Fahrenheit has been categorized as a major event and “the mass of cold air spinning around the Arctic” might meander south through the Midwest.
In the stratosphere over Siberia, temperatures recently jumped nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit, shoving the polar vortex off its North Pole perch https://t.co/1f4ZBZy4ws
— National Geographic (@NatGeo) January 13, 2021
[Featured Image from Shuttershock]