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markodochartaigh

(5,338 posts)
8. Here in SW Florida
Mon Feb 23, 2026, 11:39 AM
Monday

we have the possibility of a freeze tonight. It shouldn't be as cold as two weeks ago when my garden hit 29°F, but this is the fourth time this year with temperatures this cold. Unusually, the east coast of Florida got hit worse two weeks ago with people reporting temperatures as low as 23°-24° in inland Palm Beach County. Even a light freeze within blocks of the beach.
And, yes, this is because of anthropogenic climate change (global warming). The polar vortex has been destabilized by warming in the Arctic causing cold air to spill to the south. The polar vortex is held in place by the jet stream which is powered by the differential in temperatures between the Arctic atmosphere and the atmosphere further south. Anthropogenic climate change has caused the Arctic atmosphere to heat more quickly than the atmosphere further south so there is less difference between the two atmospheres. So the jet stream slows, then wobbles, and the polar vortex loses its stability spilling cold air far south.

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