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The Farmer’s Almanac, defining seasons
Time to check out the Farmer’s Almanac! And there it is again – mention of the Meteorological and Astronomical seasons. ‘Each season has both an astronomical start and a meteorological start. It sounds complicated, but trust us, it’s not! The astronomical start date is based on the position of the Sun in relation to the…
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First Day of Spring 2021: The Spring Equinox
On the other side of town, Tiffi is bored out of her mind. She cannot go for a walk because the snow must be knee high already. She is really not in the mood to shovel either. Time to do some googling. What should she search for? Aha! She decides that she will help Elsa get some season information for the new story.…
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What's the Difference Between a Solstice and an Equinox?
Elsa goes back to her computer but takes a peak outside and it’s still coming down heavy. She makes herself a quick lunch and then goes back on her computer. ‘You may know that the solstices and equinoxes signal the changing of the seasons on Earth, but do you remember which is which? Are they just different names for the…
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Is Climate Change Making Spring Disappear?
Time moves on and it is now the end of April. The weather hasn’t changed much, although they haven’t had another snow storm. Elsa checks the outside thermometer and it’s showing zero degrees. Will winter ever end? She heads back online to see what information she can find out about spring. She heard that with climate…
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Some Say Climate Change Will Actually Make Spring Longer
‘When it comes to what changes to the length of spring will happen because of climate change, opinions are somewhat mixed. One school of thought says that the gradual (or not so gradual) warming will make winters shorter and therefore spring will come earlier and stay longer. In this scenario, the high emissions level that…
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Everyone is bundled up
Finally it’s the beginning of May and the snow has finally stopped. Elsa checks the weather channel only to find that it’s still very cold outside. She puts on her winter jacket and attempts to head outside. Brrrrrrr ……… it’s still cold outside and some snow is still on the ground but she needs to get some fresh air so she…
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The Polar Vortex
All the way back home Elsa thinks about the polar vortex and what that could be. She walks in the front door and takes off her winter clothes and heads on over to her computer. ‘What is the polar vortex? The polar vortex is a gigantic circular upper-air weather pattern in the Arctic that envelops the North Pole. It's a…
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What happens when the vortex splits?
Elsa continues to read the same article. ‘One segment usually moves over Siberia and the other moves over North America. Once that happens, the jet stream in the troposphere over the Atlantic moves to the south. Cold Arctic air that’s normally corralled by the jet stream around the pole is then able to go into the middle…
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Polar vortex: The science behind the cold
‘Atmospheric scientist Aditi Sheshadri discusses how the polar vortex works, what drives its behavior and why it seems to bring storms and bitter cold more frequently than in past decades. The polar vortex forms every winter because of the temperature difference between the equator and the poles. In the polar stratosphere,…
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Polar Vortex explained in 2 minutes
That’s it! Elsa has to walk away from her computer for a bit. She feels an eye strain from reading too much. Just then her phone rings and it’s Tiffi. “Hi Elsa, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been trying to find some good articles for your story,” says Tiffi. “There is much talk about a polar vortex and how it’s…
