It’s January here in Buffalo. That means blizzards, gales, and storms that may even lead to the cancellation of schools and businesses, evident by our frequent Snow Days. However, Januaries in other parts of the world may mean something completely opposite. For example, in Sydney, the most populated city in Australia, the average temperature in January is is 73 degrees Fahrenheit compared to 25 degrees in Buffalo. It was as high as 49.3 degrees Celsius (about 121 degrees Fahrenheit) on the 2nd of this month!
On the other hand, Buffalo experienced a temperature as low as 4 degrees Fahrenheit on the same day. Though both Buffalo and Australia have all four seasons, the seasons are reversed due to their location in opposite hemispheres. Consequently, it is currently summer in Australia, the season when Christmas and New Year’s is celebrated. Austrian students also are on break from mid-December to late January. When Buffalonians turn heating on, the Australians are starting to turn their air conditioning on as they look forward to making plans for the break from school.
Why has this winter been colder than most? The polar vortex, a low pressure system usually located around the North Pole, has weakened and moved southwards towards the US. Washington Post weather editor Jason Samenow describes, “Typically during the winter months, [the vortex] resides up there. At times, some tentacles of it will slip southward and bring cold air outbreaks into the U.S., but this year, we’re seeing a huge chunk of it, most of it descending into the U.S.” This movement is caused by high-pressure systems over Alaska and Greenland which allows for the polar vortex to drop south with the jet stream. The polar vortex now being around the United States has caused this winter to be colder and snowier than many in the past, much to the delight of the students here at East.
