Brrr....It's been cold out there last week...and now again another burst this week too.Unless you've been under a rock, you've noticed that most of the continent has been sucked this January into the place called the "Polar Vortex." In case you missed it, the polar vortex was a Santa Clausian burst of frigid air, bigger than Santa's pack, coming down from the North Pole, attacking those of us who least expected it (and probably hadn't adapted to the right winter coat yet!)
According to CNN:
"The polar vortex, as it sounds, is circulation of strong, upper-level winds that normally surround the northern pole in a counterclockwise direction -- a polar low-pressure system. These winds tend to keep the bitter cold air locked in the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is not a single storm. On occasion, this vortex can become distorted and dip much farther south than you would normally find it, allowing cold air to spill southward."Brrrr, I say, brrrr, I say brrrr!
So even though it was snow day #2 today here, the sub-human temps were such that we kept us staying largely indoors since the "brrr factor" was high. Yes, I did kick my kids out to go have multiple shorter snow fun times, but given the cold that has overrun my body, my couch and I agreed with the earlier ruling, and just chillaxed!
3 things today have fallen in the "things that make you go 'hmmm' category:
- Today's Mother Jones' Article "NASA: 2013 Tied for the 7th Hottest Year on Record." The graph sort of says it all. (Or, in other words: winter can be cold, but it's the sum total of the average there, peeps!)
- January 20th's King5 report about the health benefits of getting kids outside (even in these chilly temps!). In the video clip, they sing the high praise of Richard Louv's writing to get kids outdoors to ward off "nature deficit disorder."
- And for comic relief.....From the January 6th Andy Borowitz's article "Polar Vortex Causes Hundreds of Injuries as People Making Snide Remarks About Climate Change are Punched in the Face."
Snow pics from my camera.
Global Average temp graph from http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2014/01/nasa-2013-7th-hottest-year
Video from http://www.king5.com/news/education/Parent-to-Parent-Getting-your-kids-outside-241174571.html
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