Ladies and gentlemen, we are in a polar vortex.
And it is cold!
I had never heard the term "polar vortex" until this morning, but based on the weather we're having in Central Illinois right now, it's definitely as nasty as it sounds:
A detailed definition of a polar vortex is pretty complicated and over the heads of most folks without a background in meteorology, but according to NBC news weatherman Al Roker, you can “think of it as a polar hurricane.” That is, a spinning mass of extremely cold air high in the atmosphere, typically rotating counterclockwise around the north and south poles.
A polar hurricane, Al? Good heavens man, are you trying to scare us?
It's a snowpocalypse !!
What rolled thru here yesterday, ahead of the polar vortex was Winter Storm Ion, as he was named by somebody somewhere with very little creative imagination for choosing names.
I shoveled twice yesterday as the snow was coming down, in an attempt to stay ahead of the drifting. And that worked pretty well, as the drift in our driveway this morning was very manageable. I figure we got about 8 inches total.
The cold was a cold like I haven't felt in some time. A deep, bone-chilling cold. I went outside this morning around 7:30 wearing about 7 layers, and the cold was still working its way into the nooks and crannies of my clothes. Extreme wind chill. Big brrrrrr!
Despite Ion's wrath, my trusted and dependable steed started on the 2nd crank. For a 1998 model that spent the night outside, that was a splendid surprise!
As I backed out of the drive, the thermometer read a balmy -8. And this mighty chilly vortex isn't just an Illinois thing. Wind chill warnings are in effect from Montana all the way down to Alabama.
Going to work this morning really wasn't too bad. Part of my lane on the highway was drifting over, so I had to drive on the other side. But, there was very little oncoming traffic, so I wasn't creating danger. much danger.
once I got into Decatur, much of the roadway, especially Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, was compacted snow. Also known as ice. very slippery. I more like slid to work than drove to work.
There are all sorts of incredible, unbelievable stories from the CI (Central Illinois) coming out of this storm. Much of the super nasty stuff was to the east and southeast of Macon County:
- The Illinois National Guard, along with Illinois State Police and the Illinois Department of Transportation personnel, assisted motorists from approximately 375 vehicles that were backed up on I-70 and I-57 north of Effingham, Ill., on Sunday evening.
- guys in my hometown of Kansas Illinois rescuing stranded travellers using snowmobiles
- According to the Champaign County Emergency Management, around 100 semi tractor-trailer rigs stranded on Route 150 between Urbana and St. Joseph
- Southern Illinois University basketball team stranded in their bus on Interstate 57 near Tuscola (read this amazing recap: http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2014-01-05/blizzard-southern-illinois-university-basketball-team-stranded-on-bus-interstate-57-champaign-illinois)
- stuck snowplows
- 100's of semi's parking in church lots due to full truck stops
and on and on and on.
So many heroes - plow drivers, utility linemen, police, fire, EMS, National Guard, and "everyday Joe's" stepping up to help their fellow man.
Ion! What a storm! I can't imagine what this would have been like with 2 feet of snow instead of 1. Probably could ask the experts up in North Dakota.
Now, let's get rid of this polar vortex and move on to Spring.
Out for now.....
Matt