Polar Vortex Jet Stream (E10)

How are winters getting worse when the earth is getting warmer? The warming planet is heating more rapidly in the north, heating up the mass of arctic air called the Polar Vortex. A warmer Polar Vortex is in turn weakening the jet stream which normally serves to contain the arctic air. But now, the wobbly jet stream is allowing frigid arctic temperatures to travel south bringing with it things like nor’easters, epic blizzards, bomb cyclones and frost quakes. This episode follows the stories of storm chasers caught in blizzards, farmers livelihoods compromised by extreme cold and snow, as well as the consequences of cold on our infrastructure. (PBS)