By Patrick Frye, The Inquisitr
About a year ago everyone was awed by the photos of the Great Lakes frozen over with ice. While the 2016 polar vortex has sent some chilly winter storms to the region, they are nothing at all compared to the snow and ice seen in 2014 and 2015. Still, the cold weather is causing some very interesting effects, including Lake Michigan’s waterspouts, which are essentially cold-air wind funnels.
The polar vortex is a large pocket of low pressure and cold air surrounding both the south and north pole. The polar vortex always exists, but it weakens during the summer, and strengthens around winter’s peak. The reason the polar vortex can cause the Great Lakes to freeze over is because a jet stream may send Arctic air blasting down toward Canada and northern states within America.
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