Time-lapse shows shocking temperature changes between December and January
It’s not just your imagination.
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On January 4, at least seven U.S. cities saw their highest temperatures ever recorded for that day, according to the Washington Post.
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The rapid temperature change seemed to happen at breakneck speed.
To visualize the drastic shift, NASA’s Earth Observatory mapped out daily surface air temperatures from December to early January.
This is the surface air temperature of North America from Dec. 1 to Jan. 2. Pulses indicate slight changes between day and night temperatures.
Notice when the artic blast balloons across the continent on Dec. 23, bringing temperatures down across the U.S.
On the left are surface air temperatures on Dec. 23. Look at the drastic warming that unfolded just six days later on Dec. 30.
You can thank the polar vortex — a powerful ball of swirling, cold winds in the stratosphere that forms above the North Pole every winter.
That’s likely what happened in December; the polar vortex stretched, causing the polar jet stream to carry chilly air to North America.
Generally, the phenomenon happens about once every two years. But scientists are wondering if stretches are becoming more frequent due to climate change.
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A 2021 report found that climate-change-induced sea ice melt in the Arctic appears to be linked to disruptions in the polar vortex.