US polar vortex: why is it so cold?
Scientists highlight possible links to climate change as temperatures of -30C hit Chicago and Midwest
At least 20 deaths have been reported as icy cold winds caused by a polar vortex continue to batter the US.
The victims include “an elderly Illinois man who was found several hours after he fell trying to get into his home and a University of Iowa student found behind an academic hall several hours before dawn” on Wednesday, says Fox News.
In Chicago, temperatures have plummeted to -30C, forcing schools and businesses to close, as well as flight cancellations. And in Park Rapids, Minnesota, the mercury has dropped as low as -41C.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
President Donald Trump used the cold snap to mock the concept of global warming.
But scientists were quick to debunk his methodology.
So what is a polar vortex and why is it making the US so cold?
What is a polar vortex?
A polar vortex is “a large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding both of the Earth’s poles”, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The actual vortex is the counterclockwise flow of air that helps keep the colder air close to the poles. During winter in the northern hemisphere, the polar vortex repeatedly expands, sending cold air southward with the jet stream, bands of fast-moving air.
Warm air coming up from below then causes the jet stream to weaken and buckle, sending warmer air into Alaska and pushing cold winds down into the US Midwest and East Coast.
Is this current cold snap unusual?
Events of similar magnitude have occurred in the past. The last one “was back in 2004, and another one in the mid-1990s, and another one in the mid-1980s”, Greg Carbin, in charge of NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center Forecast Operations Branch, told news site NPR. “Every few decades we see these events occur, where that arctic air that normally resides at the pole starts to make its way south into parts of the US.”
But what is unusual is “the rapid swing from very cold to very warm”, Carbin added. “We’re going to see 60-degree changes in temperature across the Chicago area in about four days.”
Is climate change to blame?
Studies have “pointed to a recent increase in instances where the polar vortex has bulged down into heavily populated areas”, says The Guardian. Scientists are “gaining a better understanding of why this is happening, with many identifying climate change as an influence”, the newspaper continues.
“We aren’t entirely there yet but there’s more and more support for this concept,” said Jennifer Francis, senior scientist at the Massachusetts-based Woods Hole Research Center.
But “linking [this rise] directly to climate change is a very difficult task, and usually we wait until after these events occur to try to come up with attributions for these events”, adds NOAA’s Carbin.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - March 27, 2025
Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - group chats, language lessons, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Playhouse Creatures: 'dream-like' play is 'lively, funny and sharp-witted'
Anna Chancellor offers a 'glinting performance' alongside a 'strong' supporting cast
By The Week UK Published
-
The CIA Book Club: 'entertaining and vivid' book explores a huge Cold War secret
The Week Recommends 'Gripping' narrative explores a covert smuggling operation across the Iron Curtain
By The Week UK Published
-
The fight for control of Ukraine's nuclear reactors
The Explainer How serious is Donald Trump about US ownership of Kyiv's nuclear power plants?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The El Salvador mega-prison at the centre of Trump's deportation scheme
The Explainer Invoking a 1798 law, the US president has sent hundreds of alleged gang members to high-security prison called 'black hole of human rights'
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Romania's election chaos risks international fallout
IN THE SPOTLIGHT By barring far-right candidate Calin Georgescu from the country's upcoming electoral re-do, Romania places itself in the center of a broader struggle over European ultra-nationalism
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Why is Netanyahu pushing into the West Bank now?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Israeli tanks have entered some Palestinian cities for the first time in decades. What's behind this latest assault on the occupied territory, and where could it lead if left unchecked?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Germany's conservatives win power amid far-right gains
Speed Read The party led by Friedrich Merz won the country's national election; the primary voter issues were the economy and immigration
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published