“O wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?” – Percy Bysshe Shelley, poet

If all went as forecasted, moderate to strong Santa Ana winds were expected to settle in yesterday – Wednesday – in Los Angeles and Ventura counties and continue through today, Thursday. After a few calm and warmer days with temperatures nudging toward 80 degrees another round of gusty winds are blowing our way once again come late Saturday into Sunday. So hold onto your hat and grab your jacket.

Texas is known for its sprawling deserts and excruciating heat waves; however, last week the midwestern states from the Canadian to the Mexican borders experienced gelidus conditions. Gelidus, developed from the Latin words “gelidus” and “gelus,” mean “frost or intense cold.” Although mostly obsolete in it usage, the word seemed fitting for the occasion.

As Texas was blanketed in a thick layer of ice, power outages occurred across the region. A combination of high demand, power plants crippled by the weather and a grid that is cut off from the rest of the country left millions of people shivering in the dark. The state felt some of its coldest temperatures in more than 30 years with some areas even breaking century-old records.

National Weather Service meteorologists explained the extreme weather pattern was initiated by a large and recognizable phenomenon called “sudden stratospheric warming” or SSW. Texas’ chill was caused by rapid heating in the stratosphere, the second-lowest section of the atmosphere. SSWs are a natural occurrence that happen every couple of winters and foretell extreme weather in the weeks following them. This happens when the Arctic warms rapidly and disrupts a spinning mass of cold air – the polar vortex, a semi-permanent weather system that is present each winter. The meteorologists explained that normally jet streams wind around the vortex and act like a lasso of sorts, keeping the cold air trapped inside. However, when it gets warm in the Arctic the jet stream weakens and elongates, allowing the cold air to plunge south. This enables a broad mountain of warm air to form over the Arctic. The warm air then acts as an atmospheric block, redirecting the jet stream and bitterly cold air southward. It is worth noting that cold air outbreaks such as these are normally kept in the Arctic by a series of low-pressure systems; however, this one last week moved through Canada and spilled into the U.S. 

Unfortunately, our much-needed rain remains just that: much-needed. In past years so-called “March Miracles” delivered measurable end-of-the-season precipitation. With the vernal equinox just a few weeks off comes the chance for a “spring shower.” Mother Nature added a “wait-and-see” ingredient to her spring recipe.