Temperatures hit 82 degrees in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, one of the highest readings the city has ever experienced in February. And for the second day in a row, Boston set a high-temperature record for a February day: 71 degrees.
In New York’s Central Park, the temperature hit 78 degrees, the highest ever recorded in February. The milestone shattered the record for Feb. 21, which had previously stood at 68 degrees, back in 1930.
“We’re not breaking daily records, we’re breaking all-time temperature records,” said Andrew Freedman, senior science editor of Mashable.
According to Freedman, part of the explanation lies in an unusual disturbance of the polar vortex, which in the past week has split in two, producing two distinct cold waves across the globe.
“You had one portion of it moving into the Western U.S. and Canada, while at the same time one portion of it moved into Europe and Eurasia,” Freedman said. “So those are the two cold spots in the Northern Hemisphere right now. And in the eastern U.S., suddenly we had this incredible warm-up today and on Tuesday.”
Freedman explained the split in the polar vortex. “Normally, you have this circulation of fast winds in the upper levels of the atmosphere over the Arctic. Usually, it stays put; it behaves well.” But this year the planet experienced what Freedman called a Sudden Stratospheric Warming event. “You had energy from the lower atmosphere go up to the upper atmosphere and sort of knocked it off balance.”
Freedman added that climate change is also contributing to the record temperatures on the East Coast. “It’s easier for us to set these high-temperature records as the climate continues to warm,” he said. “That's the bottom line climate message overall.”
And as for what’s ahead, well, Freedman said, on Thursday, “It’s going to snow in Boston.”
Read more at [Mashable](https://mashable.com/2018/02/15/polar-vortex-split-stratospheric-warming-snow-cold-europe-us/).
Carlo and Baker wrap up another week discussing the latest explosion in new Covid cases in the Northeast, President Biden's stalled agenda and more. Plus, Love, Hate, Ate featuring the question: why did movie dialogue get so hard to understand?
From extreme cold in Texas to devastating wildfires in California to the recent tornadoes in the Midwest, the U.S. experienced a string of severe weather events in 2021. Cheddar News speaks with climate expert Sweta Chakraborty on how these disasters are linked to climate change.
The sports world has been at the forefront of dealing with the pandemic ever since the NBA temporarily halted operations in March 2020 and opted to play in their Florida bubble. As the omicron variant and current COVID surge forces game postponements and player quarantines, how leagues manage to continue operations through the outbreaks could be a sign of what is to come for the general public. Dr. Robby Sikka, chair of the COVID Sports Society Workgroup and a former VP with the Minnesota Timberwolves, joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to talk about the ways in which the NBA, NHL, and NFL are innovating amid the disruptions.
According to the CDC, Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. The grim statistic is one of the main reasons why two organizations came together to do something. The Bump and the National Medical Association are partnering to launch The Black Maternal Health hub. The online resource will help expecting mothers feel supported, informed, and empowered throughout pregnancy and the early days of parenting. Jennifer Lee at The Bump and Dr. Rachel Villanueva, a clinical assistant professor of OB/GYN and member of the National Medical Association join Cheddar News to talk about the initiative.
Michelle Egger and Leila Strickland, Co-Founders of Biomilq, join Cheddar Innovates to discuss how their women-led team is recreating the process of milk production outside the body to combine both nutrition and practicality for new moms.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Nucleus CEO breaks down what the future of the genomics industry looks like; Biomilq Co-Founders explains how they are is recreating the process of milk production outside the body to combine both nutrition and practicality for new moms; A look at Curiosity Stream's 'Top Science Stories 2021.'
Kian Sadeghi, Founder and CEO of Nucleus, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how he's making genetic analysis more accessible, what our genetic code can teach us about ourselves, and what the future of the genomics industry looks like.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Omorpho Co-Founder explains the innovation driving gravity sportswear; Cool Beans CEO breaks down the science behind 'good mood food;' A look at Curiosity Stream's 'Building The James Webb Telescope.'
