In mid-March, the United States is being hit by extreme weather phenomena. Forecasters describe a country facing both torrential rains, a polar cold wave, a heat dome, and strong winds.
The United States is not being spared. The country, which is 17 times the size of France, is experiencing a significant number of extreme weather events in mid-March.
Residents of Washington DC experienced a day on Wednesday, March 11, where the mercury reached about 30°C, double the normal seasonal temperatures. The next day, snow appeared in the capital, as shown in a video from ABC News where snowflakes fall on a cherry blossom tree.
“Throughout the country, even if we do not necessarily observe extreme conditions everywhere, there will be a general alternation between cold and hot, or between hot, cold, and hot,” said Marc Chenard from the National Weather Service to AP.
Meteorologist Ryan Maue, who has worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), declared that he expects extreme weather phenomena in all 50 states.
Temperatures exceeding 40°C in the Southeast
A heat dome, a stagnant pocket of warm air lasting several days like a bell, will make the Southeast of the United States suffocate. Forecasters estimate that the temperature will reach 37°C in Phoenix, Arizona, as early as Tuesday, and will continue to climb to 42°C in the following days. AP notes that this city typically records this temperature in May.
Conversely, the polar vortex, a significant low-pressure system forming at about 30km altitude above the North and South Poles, will cause a very significant temperature drop in the Midwest and East of the country, bringing the thermometer below freezing. Cities like Minneapolis or Chicago, used to cold waves, are particularly affected, but the effects of the vortex could also reach the Southwest, such as Atlanta, Georgia, according to Ryan Maue to AP.
Snowstorm and strong winds
Over the weekend, two successive low-pressure systems are expected to cause significant snowfall in North America, fueled by the already mentioned polar vortex.
Moreover, a vast area between Kansas, Oklahoma, and the Gulf of Mexico is set to experience gusts of nearly 100 km/h on Sunday. These strong winds also affect other northern states like Nebraska, where the local crisis management agency has issued warnings about fire risks.
Hawaii is also affected by a violent weather phenomenon, with the presence of an atmospheric river over the archipelago, bands of warm and humid air carrying large amounts of vapor, leading to potentially very heavy rainfall. Torrential rains are hitting Hawaii, with some rivers on flood alert.
Meteorologists contacted by AP attribute this disruption to the Jet stream as the cause of these calamities, with the sudden disruption of the 2-3 km thick wind tube spanning several thousand kilometers from West to East. “This means that we are seeing many extremes close to each other,” illustrates Ryan Maue to AP.
Numerous studies have established a connection between the unusual activity of the Jet stream and the polar vortex and the retreat of the Arctic ice cap, as well as human-induced climate change, adds the Agency.
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