polar vortex

[ poh-ler vawr-teks ]

/ ˈpoʊ lər ˈvɔr tɛks /

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noun plural po·lar vor·ti·ces

[poh-ler vawr-tuh-seez] /ˈpoʊ lər ˈvɔr təˌsiz/ po·lar vor·tex·es

a whirling mass of very cold air that sits over the North or South Pole: A displaced polar vortex is causing Arctic temperatures across the United States.

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Origin of polar vortex

First recorded in 1910–15

Words nearby polar vortex

polar orbit, polar outbreak, Polar Regions, polar sequence, polar stratospheric cloud, polar vortex, polar wander, Polatsk, polder, pole, poleax

How to use polar vortex in a sentence

Scientists are still analyzing the nexus between polar vortex events and climate change.
We can’t escape climate change, but we can manage it|Ben Geman|February 19, 2021|Axios
The polar vortex is a zone of cold air that normally spins like a top high above the North Pole.
Explaining this week’s deadly US cold snap|Philip Kiefer|February 18, 2021|Popular-Science
At 32 degrees F—hardly a polar vortex—we saw the estimated driving range shrink from 270 miles to 208 miles.
Ford’s electric Mustang Mach-E is an important leap into the future|Dan Carney|February 12, 2021|Popular-Science
A blob of warm air high in the atmosphere has pushed the polar vortex off its axis over the past week.
The polar vortex is about to split in two. But what does that actually mean?|Philip Kiefer|January 11, 2021|Popular-Science

The problem is that climate models completely disagree as to whether the polar vortex strengthens or weakens in the future.
The polar vortex is about to split in two. But what does that actually mean?|Philip Kiefer|January 11, 2021|Popular-Science
She would leave every day of shooting during the polar vortex just grinning from ear-to-ear.
Lori Petty on ‘Orange Is the New Black,’ the Halcyon ‘90s, and Discovering Jennifer Lawrence|Marlow Stern|June 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Undeterred by the crippling polar vortex that's left heaps of snow lying unceremoniously at every turn.
Should This Northwestern Professor Be Punished?|Gideon Resnick|March 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST