Cold air and snow on the way to North America again: Will there be consequences for Europe? | Science & Planet

Weather services are predicting a new and severe cold spell this weekend. Earlier this week, North America experienced cold air from the north. A section of the polar vortex, also known as the polar vortex, heads toward Central America, making it difficult for the mercury to rise above -10 °C during the day. At night, the mercury will drop further below -20 °C, accompanied by fog. At the same time, the NWS (National Weather Service) is expecting up to 20 inches of snow in parts of the Midwest.

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Extremely cold weather can significantly increase energy consumption. That's why ERCOT (the US organization that manages the electric grid in Texas) exists Weather monitoring declared. It is expected that due to severe cold there may be power outage. At lower temperatures, more heat and electricity are consumed. In Texas, it caused a major power outage in 2021, affecting 5 million people.

A burst of very cold air in North America could also have effects on European weather. The differences between warm and cold air then become so large over the Atlantic Ocean that it activates the jet stream. “With an active jet stream, the chance of storms and rain in Western Europe increases. The extension of the current winter inoculation is likely to be affected by developments in the US,” says meteorologist Nicholas Roos.

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