When you buy through links on our site , we may earn an affiliate commissioning . Here ’s how it works .
Melissa Mahonyisa fourth-year editor at OnEarth.org , published by the Natural Resources Defense Council . Thisarticlewas originally published by OnEarth powder store . Mahonycontributed this article toLive Science’sExpert phonation : Op - Ed & Insights .
The " polar maelstrom " thatfroze North America in its tracksisn’t exactly new . Cyclones of glacial air convolution around the Arctic all the time . What ’s different is that this latest polar vortex dipped far enough south to air Floridians scrambling for their mitten .
Nearly a foot of snow had fallen in Secaucus, NJ, by late morning on Feb. 13, 2014.
The term also showed up all over my Facebook feed . grant , I run with a peck of science journalists , but this prison term even my let’s - take - a - picture - of - my - breakfast friends ( no crime , guy ) were discussing the rare and strangeinteraction of the polar vortex with the jet streamand its possible relation to melting Arctic ocean ice … drive by climate change .
Thanks to wacky weather condition ( and social media hashtags ) , meteorology geekspeak has hit the mainstream . Once dark atmospherical patterns are now thrown into everyday conversation with only the slightest waver to make indisputable " derecho " is articulate right . As worldwide warming ( " global weirding , " anyone ? ) prim the planet foreven more uttermost weather , bear to encounter more lab - pelage lingo and skill slang in your everyday life . Here ’s a trot sheet for the climapocalypse .
impede rule
Nearly a foot of snow had fallen in Secaucus, NJ, by late morning on Feb. 13, 2014.
Wow , the jet stream certain is curvy — perchance as a event of a warm Arctic — but do n’t let its good looks fool you . During a block pattern , the special K stream is ho-hum , wearisome and prevents other atmospheric condition patterns from convey on with their lives . So when it rains , it pours … for days , as it didin Colorado last September . DerechoIf you pronounce this one right on your first try , those mellow - schoolhouse Spanish classes are pay off . " Derecho " means " straight , " as in a true communication channel of tight - moving thunderstorms that is attractively terrific , like the one from June 2012 . That withering derecho left 23 hoi polloi dead and more than 4 million masses without electricity between Illinois and Washington , DC . Derechos are also known as " land hurricanes . “Firenado / Firewhirl
When convection heat rises off a wildfire ( which are becoming more commondue to mood change ) and start sop up and swirling in column of flaming , a " firing crack cocaine " can fall out . Ahuge one occurredlast August during Alaska ’s Tetlin Junction Fire .
Flash freeze
If you’re a topical expert — researcher, business leader, author or innovator — and would like to contribute an op-ed piece,email us here.
Somebody get Lake Michigan a raging toddy . During the recentpolar vortex , when temperatures dropped as much as 50 arcdegree in a topic of hour , city from Ontario to northern Georgia issued flash freeze warning .
Frost quake
Sugary breakfast cereal ? Nope . Also known as cryoseisms , these usually innocent " ice earthquake " occur when water penetrates soil or rock formations , freeze , and then rapidly expand , as it did in Canada this hebdomad . Pressure builds up underground and then … BOOM !
Haboob
Haboobis a Sudanese word for sandstorm , but could be an American word for " go inside right now ! " Haboobs are ironic microbursts that fall out during drought conditions and bring a wall of dirt , dust and moxie with them . You roll in the hay how much it sucks to get grit in your iPhone at the beach ? A haboob ’s like that but encompass everything . One recent sandstorm was 100 miles long and hit Phoenix at 60 miles per hour . Heat burst
Did you know it can actually rain heat energy ? When a mass of dry air plumb toward the ground during a weakening electric storm and compresses , a sudden , striking increase in temperature can occur — along with some very strong , blistering winds . During a 2011 heating plant burst in Wichita , Kansas , the hydrargyrum lift from 85 to 102 degrees in 20 minutes . Megafire
on the dot what it sounds like : a massive wildfire . drouth conditionsdue to global warmingare making them more common across the world .
Snow drouth
A ski resort ’s speculative nightmare , when a lack of hurriedness during winter months shrinks the snowpack and establish skiers and snowboarders cry into their cocoa . It ’s not fun for Farmer , either . Less C. P. Snow in winter means less meltwater for Department of Agriculture and aquifer come spring .
Polar whirl
After the recent # DeepFreeze medium flak , you should be a pro on polar whirlpool by now . If not , clack here .
Bonus direct : glass balls
Hey , Lake Superior … duck ! Looks like Lake Michigan ’s preparing for a massive snowball competitiveness .
