New Winter Prediction Has Iowans Crying into Their Busch Lattes

Well, here we are knocking on the door of another fall. My favorite season, maybe yours, too? It's a treat in Iowa and the Midwest. Leaves change, temps drop - not plummet, just drop.

There's hot cocoa, pumpkin-spiced, well, everything, football on TV, and haunted attractions galore. But under the surface, it's the calm before... winter.

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Six letters that spell out (what feels like) 8 months of frozen terror. Now, some winters, take last year's example, aren't too bad. I think I used my snowblower twice. Sure, it was cold, but it wasn't even consistently frigid. Will we have a repeat in 2022-'23? All signs point to NOPE.

Last month we shared a report from the Farmer's Almanac that predicted we'd be in a, ahem, snow-filled hibernation zone. That's bleak.

I decided now that it's September I'd see if I could get a second opinion. Not that I'm rippin' on the Farmer's Almanac, but it's not always accurate. To do so I decided to visit a European website called... oh wait, you rolled your eyes after "Europe", didn't you? I'll get to that part in a moment.

The website is Severe Weather Europe. While they are, yes, based in Europe, they also have predictions for the U.S. this winter and specifically the Midwest. The site, in great detail, is calling for a Polar Vortex - that familiar term we often hear in the Midwest.

This time of year seasonal cooling begins in the north pole. This is due to the region getting less and less sunlight. Severe Weather Europe, again in great detail, explains how in 2022, that will likely lead to a Polar Vortex.

...A strong global pressure difference between the polar and sub-tropical regions, and a large low-pressure (cyclonic) circulation starts to develop across the Northern Hemisphere. It extends from the surface layer far up into the Stratosphere. This is known as the Polar Vortex.

As far as how that will impact us? Well, Santa's home will get cold. Pressure will build, and that will trickle down to Iowa and the Midwest. As Severe Weather Europe puts it,

The Polar Vortex is not just one single winter storm or a cold outbreak that moves from the Midwest into the northeastern United States.

Nope, they go on to say it will likely be cold, very cold, much of the winter starting in November and December.

Yay! Eye roll... I'm ready to move to Florida.

If you're a weather buff, please check out the full story, full of fancy graphics, here.