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NATION East Oregonian Page 2A Friday, January 8, 2016 Polar vortex, El Nino at center stage of weird weather show “We have all of these large and unusual events happening all at the same time and I don’t think it has ever happened before.” By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer WASHINGTON — Get ready for weather whiplash as powerful climatic forces elbow each other for starring roles in a weird winter show. The spine-chilling polar vortex is taking center stage in Europe and bringing persistent cold to much of North America — except in Holly- wood, where soggy El Nino won’t give up the spotlight. After El Nino delivered a balmy Christmas Eve to the eastern U.S. and shattered national records with a warm, wet and wild December, Minnesota may host one of the coldest NFL playoff games in history this Sunday, with wind chills around 20 below, meteorol- ogists predict. “The biggest thing is this whip- lash,” said University of Oklahoma meteorology professor Jason Furtado. “It’s going to be a shock for people.” The center of the cold blast starts this weekend in the U.S. in the upper Midwest, and then moves to the Hudson Bay area next week, while in Europe it starts in the east and north and then spreads, Furtado said. Europe may have to get used to temperatures 20 or so degrees below normal. “Temperature will be dominated by the impact of the polar vortex,” said Judah Cohen, seasonal forecast chief for the private Atmospheric and Environmental Research company outside Boston. It will feel similar to 2013 and 2014, he said. Americans became painfully familiar with the polar vortex during those winters. This time, America’s winter temperatures will depend on when the wet and warm El Nino pushes itself back to prominence, Furtado said. “We have all of these large and unusual events happening all at the same time and I don’t think it has ever happened before,” said Rutgers University climate scien- tist Jennifer Francis. For a winter this dramatic, it may help to consult the program: Medford Police Department via AP A surveillance photo provided by the Medford Police Depart- ment shows a bank robber who demanded cash from a Chase Bank branch in Medford on Monday. Medford police shared photos of the robbery suspect on social media, leading many to comment that the suspect looked a lot like “Dirty Jobs” television host Mike Rowe. — Jennifer Francis, Rutgers University climate scientist sippi River Valley isn’t usually an El Nino signature though, Cohen said. Act two Medford robbery suspect resembles ‘Dity Jobs’ star 7KH VZLWFK ÀLSSHG7KH$UFWLF Oscillation and its North Atlantic sidekick went negative big time. “When it’s a negative AO, that’s AP Photo/Nick Lo Verde, File In this photo taken in 2014, the United States side of Niagara when people start mentioning the Falls in New York had begun to thaw after a “polar vortex” that words ‘polar vortex’,” Halpert said. affected millions in the U.S. and Canada. This time, there’s cold air, but Another air pattern playing it’s mostly dry so far, despite El weather worldwide, especially in the Americas and Asia. It is closely a small but key role is the Nino, which still spawns a series associated with heavy rain in Cali- Madden-Julian Oscillation, which of rainstorms hitting California. fornia, and general warming. It has travels in the warm parts of the Meteorologists say wetter weather less effect in Europe because that’s ,QGLDQ DQG 3DFL¿F RFHDQV DQG could bring heavy snowstorms, but IXUWKHUDZD\:LWKLWVÀLSVLGH/D may have triggered changes that that’s not likely for another week Nina, it is known as the El Nino ³ÀLSSHGWKHVZLWFK´LQ'HFHPEHU or more, although cities along the Southern Oscillation, and it lasts Furtado said. Great Lakes may get lake effect Still other characters may be snow. about a year. Playing off against El Nino is a factor in making the jet streams So far the east-moving moisture the Arctic Oscillation, and its index oscillate more wildly: A huge blob from El Nino is staying south of the measures differences in atmo- of warm water in the northern Arctic plunge, but that may change. spheric pressure between the Arctic 3DFL¿F XQXVXDOO\ ORZ VHD LFH For now, the AO is dominating and mid-latitudes. When the AO is levels in the Arctic’s Barents Kara LQLWV¿JKWZLWK(O1LQRHVSHFLDOO\ positive in the winter, polar air stays sea area; a cool patch of water off in Europe, Cohen said. NFL trapped up north and the weather is Greenland, likely from melting ice players and fans will likely brave relatively mild further south. When sheets and glaciers; winter storm temperatures around one below the AO is negative, the cold Arctic Frank that hit England; and of zero in Minneapolis. air escapes and plunges into lower course man-made climate change. Act three latitudes, treating the United States Act one and Europe to the polar vortex — a No spoilers here. Will the polar This was last month. El Nino vortex hold the stage for weeks swirling air mass that carries spine- appeared in classic form, tying or months? Will the cold AO and chilling temperatures. The North Atlantic Oscillation 1997-1998 for the strongest on wet El Nino combine for whopper LVDELWSOD\HUZLWKDELJLQÀXHQFH record. The Arctic Oscillation was snowstorms? over Europe’s weather. As with its very positive, trapping cold air in Rutgers’ Francis doesn’t think Arctic cousin, the more negative northern latitudes. With so many the moisture and the cold can keep its index, the colder the continent warm, wet days further south, avoiding each other, saying “we’re VSULQJÀRZHUVSRSSHGXSDQGWUHHV going to have major major dumps becomes. The jet streams also are bloomed in December. of snow. We just don’t know “It’s not surprising we were where.” important to watch. These rivers of DLUKHDYLO\LQÀXHQFHORFDOZHDWKHU 70 degrees on Christmas Day,” Furtado predicts El Nino will everywhere, carrying storms and said Mike Halpert of the National push aside the cold in America, but clearing skies around the planet. Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin- not in Europe, where it has less of Usually in the winter, the jet stream istration’s Climate Prediction DQLQÀXHQFH&RKHQLVOHVVFHUWDLQ The cast that affects most people in the Center in College Park, Marylanvd. about what will happen as these El Nino often spawns winter forces morph and interact over The star is El Nino, a veteran of United States and Europe moves this stage for a few decades now. relatively straight from west to east. tornadoes in the southern U.S. and time. This natural warming of the central But when it weakens, it can plunge they appeared on cue, killing two “There’s a lot going on; the WURSLFDO 3DFL¿F RFFXUV HYHU\ WZR south and north and even get stuck dozen people in just four days. The weather has been crazy,” Cohen KHDY\UDLQWKDWÀRRGHGWKH0LVVLV- said. “Expect the unexpected.” to seven years or so, and changes at times, creating odd extremes. 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Hi 46 31 36 50 28 31 45 33 35 36 34 34 33 49 47 53 34 36 33 42 36 44 32 32 42 33 38 Lo 38 19 23 39 17 16 33 23 27 23 17 23 22 32 38 39 21 25 27 36 21 35 20 18 35 27 24 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W r pc sn r sn pc r c c c sn pc pc r r r pc c c r sn r c c r c c WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 34 69 49 49 70 9 47 61 35 76 51 Lo 11 63 44 42 39 6 38 53 20 65 40 W s s sh pc s c c c s pc c Sat. Hi 38 70 54 50 72 8 50 62 36 78 51 Lo 16 65 41 41 43 3 43 53 26 67 40 W s c pc r s sn sh sh pc pc pc WINDS Medford 49/37 Klamath Falls 33/19 (in mph) Today Saturday Boardman Pendleton VAR 3-6 NNE 3-6 NE 3-6 VAR 3-6 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. REGIONAL FORECAST Coastal Oregon: Fog today; some sun, then clouds in the south. Eastern and Central Oregon: Clouds and breaks of sun today. Mostly cloudy tonight; cold near the Cascades. Western Washington: Areas of fog in the morning; otherwise, partly sunny today. Eastern Washington: Mostly cloudy today; a couple of morning fl urries near the Idaho border. Cascades: Times of clouds and sun today. 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. 0-2, Low 3-5, Moderate 6-7, High; 8-10, Very High; 11+, Extreme The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num- ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection. Northern California: A little rain at the coast today; partly sunny elsewhere. Corrections The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and sincerely regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818. ADVERTISING Advertising Director: Jennine Perkinson MSHUNLQVRQ#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP &ODVVLÀHG$GYHUWLVLQJ FODVVL¿HGV#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP Single copy price: 7XHVGD\WKURXJK)ULGD\6DWXUGD\ MEDFORD (AP) — This is a dirty job one Discovery Channel star would not do. Fans of the TV show “Dirty Jobs” noticed that photos of an Oregon bank robbery suspect resembled host Mike Rowe. The attention prompted a bemused Rowe to mention that he was in Kansas at the time. Police in the city of Medford released surveillance photos of the suspect on social media, leading many people to comment that the man looked a lot like Rowe, the Mail Tribune reported Wednesday. The police department joked RQ LWV YHUL¿HG )DFHERRN SDJH WKDW all the tips led it to issue an arrest warrant for the TV host. After Rowe revealed that he was across the country, police posted that they were “now looking for a suspect wearing a Mike Rowe mask.” Rowe — whose show chronicles jobs considered icky, such as road kill collectors — told the newspaper that he agreed the man was his doppelganger. “I just laughed out loud,” Rowe said in a phone interview Wednesday. “It does look like me.” The Rowe lookalike is accused of demanding cash from a Chase Bank branch on Monday. Police are still looking for the real suspect. Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2016 -10s -0s showers t-storms 0s 10s rain 20s flurries 30s 40s snow ice 50s 60s cold front 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low National Summary: Rain will dampen areas from the southern Atlantic coast to the Ohio Valley and central Great Lakes today. Snow will fall from the central Plains to the Upper Midwest and on part of the Four Corners region. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 78° in Naples, Fla. Low -3° in Berlin, N.H. NATIONAL CITIES Today Albuquerque Atlanta Atlantic City Baltimore Billings Birmingham Boise Boston Charleston, SC Charleston, WV Chicago Cleveland Dallas Denver Detroit El Paso Fairbanks Fargo Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Jacksonville Kansas City Las Vegas Little Rock Los Angeles Hi 36 55 50 45 19 59 36 41 60 53 42 43 67 24 41 49 2 21 84 71 48 68 42 53 62 59 Lo 24 45 43 36 10 50 26 36 51 40 35 40 40 12 38 34 -5 -4 71 49 43 55 28 37 49 46 W sf pc c r sn pc c sh sh r r r pc sn r c pc sf s t c pc c pc pc pc Sat. Hi 37 55 55 50 18 59 34 43 69 56 40 50 49 27 48 49 11 -2 82 60 50 73 29 51 56 57 Lo 21 44 49 46 10 40 24 40 56 45 23 42 30 10 39 31 3 -15 67 37 29 52 9 37 29 49 Today W s r c sh sf r c r sh sh sn c pc pc c s pc pc sh pc r t sn pc sh r Louisville Memphis Miami Milwaukee Minneapolis Nashville New Orleans New York City Oklahoma City Omaha Philadelphia Phoenix Portland, ME Providence Raleigh Rapid City Reno Sacramento St. Louis Salt Lake City San Diego San Francisco Seattle Tucson Washington, DC Wichita Hi 56 62 79 39 35 60 71 43 50 35 46 55 35 44 51 22 38 53 54 33 60 54 44 51 45 41 Lo 48 51 69 33 14 48 58 38 31 19 39 42 27 34 44 5 27 44 41 24 51 47 34 36 39 29 W c pc sh r sn sh pc pc pc sn c r pc pc r sf pc pc c sf pc pc pc r r c Sat. Hi 55 55 82 38 15 58 69 49 37 20 54 57 39 46 57 15 38 55 43 34 60 56 43 53 53 31 Lo 35 30 71 22 -4 35 45 46 21 1 48 43 36 39 48 -4 24 39 15 20 54 44 36 36 46 15 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W r r sh sn c r pc c pc c c pc c c r pc sn r sn c pc r c pc sh sf
