Second Polar Vortex?

[Ryan]

To be fair, "polar vortex" is an actual meteorological term that's been around for decades and describes a real thing. The media seems to have just caught onto it and turned into into a popular term that's used incorrectly half the time.

Deep technical knowledge isn't something that the media does well.

 

[SarahZ]

It's -24 today, and we're supposed to get six inches of snow tonight. I've about had it with this. It's not even so much the snow as the negative temperatures. The windchill has been at or below zero for 2-3 weeks now. :angry:

 

[Bob Dylan]

It's -24 today, and we're supposed to get six inches of snow tonight. I've about had it with this. It's not even so much the snow as the negative temperatures. The windchill has been at or below zero for 2-3 weeks now. :angry:

IINM Sarah you have been Posting how much you like the Cold and Snow etc. in Michigan! Have ya'll considered moving to SoCal or Florida like Several of our Members and the Northern Snowbirds that Migrate there each Winter?? ^_^

FWIW: Its 28 and Snow on the Ground here in Austin, First Time in Several Years!

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

To be fair, "polar vortex" is an actual meteorological term that's been around for decades and describes a real thing. The media seems to have just caught onto it and turned into into a popular term that's used incorrectly half the time.

Deep technical knowledge isn't something that the media does well.

I like to use the term Arctic Mass Ejection to freak people out, especially the typical Lowest Common Denominator person who doesn't know the first thing about basic science.

 

[SarahZ]

It's -24 today, and we're supposed to get six inches of snow tonight. I've about had it with this. It's not even so much the snow as the negative temperatures. The windchill has been at or below zero for 2-3 weeks now. :angry:

IINM Sarah you have been Posting how much you like the Cold and Snow etc. in Michigan! Have ya'll considered moving to SoCal or Florida like Several of our Members and the Northern Snowbirds that Migrate there each Winter?? ^_^

FWIW: Its 28 and Snow on the Ground here in Austin, First Time in Several Years!

I do like winter, but when it's been at or below zero for three weeks straight, that's just not normal. "Winter" around here is normally snowy, so I don't have an issue with that, but the temperature gets below zero maybe once or twice all winter. It's usually 10-40 degrees, depending on the month. So yeah. I'm sick and tired of this crap. I moved downstate to get away from the subzero temps.

I refuse to move to the south. I like warm weather, but not year-round, and I can't stand humidity. I'd be okay with L.A, since I loooove California, but I'd miss fall/winter/spring.

 

[Nathanael]

I refuse to move to the south. I like warm weather, but not year-round, and I can't stand humidity. I'd be okay with L.A, since I loooove California, but I'd miss fall/winter/spring.

Based on those weather preferences, you should try Colorado.

 

[OldTimer]

When I used to live in New York State, I remember reading about how the Hudson River use to freeze solid. No river shipping up to Albany, and people (including FDR himself) would race ice boats on the frozen Hudson. I think it was called "ice yachting".

Possibly, those good ol' days are simply returning? Why aren't more people pleased?

 

[Ispolkom]

One of the privileges of a North Dakota childhood is that you never complain about winter weather, or about being bored. Remember, there's no such thing as bad weather, only poor clothing choices.

It's amusing that yesterday, when the high temperature here never reached zero, I was able to walk into a liquor store wearing a facemask and nobody gave me a second look. I'm just sorry that I'm going to miss next week's outdoor baseball game. .

 

[montana mike]

Meanwhile on the 5 hour late Texas Eagle heading north to CHI this AM we have experienced THREE broken rail issues overnight--I don't think I can ever recall having three broken rails on a single trip before. The UP people fare blaming the cold weather. Until this mess happened we were on time. Looks like a late arrival into CHI this evening-bummer.

This raises a question. In ND and MT the temps are routinely 20 below zero and even colder, with minimal broken rail issues. Here in MO this AM, with temps around 10 degrees above zero the rails are having all sorts of issues. Is the steel that different between the two rails to cause such a problem here in MO?

 

[Ryan]

It's not the steel, it's the zero stress temperature. The problem isn't the absolute temperature, it's the magnitude of the departure from normal that causes issues.

From another thread where this was discussed:

No problem - now that I'm my computer and not the iPad, I can explain a little better.

When rail is laid, there is a temperature at which the rail isn't under any stress - it isn't under tension, nor is it being compressed. From that state, if it heats up too much, the rail will want to expand (hot rail gets longer), but can't because of the fixed ends. Eventually, if you keep heating up, you get a "sun kink" where the force is great enough to push the rail sideways out of alignment.

Going the other way, when it gets cold, the rail wants to contract - as it gets colder, the tension in the rail will increase, until it's sufficient to crack the rail.

Generally speaking, cracked rails are "better", as they'll show up in the signal system and trains will get a stop signal. Sun kinks are a different story - because the rail stays intact, it won't show up in the signal system, and the first warning you'll get is when a train sees it - maybe it'll be able to stop in time, maybe not.

With that in mind, down south the rail can tolerate hot weather because it's laid using a higher neutral temperature. If rail were laid in Maine at that same temperature, you'd have cracks galore come wintertime...

ZST = zero stress temperature is that temperature

There is a formula used to decide what it should be for a given location. (2H+L)/3+C. That is, twice the highest temperature the rail gets to in a year plus the lowest temperature the rail gets to in a year. Add these, divide by three. Add some number of degrees that seem reasonable, usually something on the order of 15 to 25 degrees. Most railroad companies have a number they use, or a map showing what temperature to use where. Depending upon what part of the country, this ZST will be somewhere between around 85 degrees and 120 degrees. As Ryan says, in Maine is will be less than it would be in places like Arizona and New Mexico, or a lot of other places, either. The general idea in the temperature selection is to keep the rail in tension most of the time. Emphasis on rail high temperature because the sun can heat the rail to up to 30 degrees hotter than the air temperature.

 

[chakk]

The only good thing I see with all this hype is that there must not be much "bad" news going on so they need to fill in the time with something.

That sounds like low effort reasoning to me. If you ever feel like there's no interesting or important stories to discuss try reading the news from another country. Try picking up a non-fiction book. Try following an investigative journalist. Try watching a controversial documentary. Check out what happened "this day in history." The world is full of so many interesting and important stories that there's no way you could possibly consider them all in a single lifetime. And yet we casually claim whole days, weeks, and even months as "slow news" periods. Those who are willing to explore beyond their comfort zone will never be at a loss for news to discuss.

I was referring to the TV news stations, etc, that are hyping on all the "wild" weather. Apparently THEY don't think there's more worthy news stories.

Justin Bieber should be dominating the news stations now, thank you.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

The only good thing I see with all this hype is that there must not be much "bad" news going on so they need to fill in the time with something.

That sounds like low effort reasoning to me. If you ever feel like there's no interesting or important stories to discuss try reading the news from another country. Try picking up a non-fiction book. Try following an investigative journalist. Try watching a controversial documentary. Check out what happened "this day in history." The world is full of so many interesting and important stories that there's no way you could possibly consider them all in a single lifetime. And yet we casually claim whole days, weeks, and even months as "slow news" periods. Those who are willing to explore beyond their comfort zone will never be at a loss for news to discuss.

I was referring to the TV news stations, etc, that are hyping on all the "wild" weather. Apparently THEY don't think there's more worthy news stories.

Justin Bieber should be dominating the news stations now, thank you.

Well, I guess there are things worse than the weather to have to listen to on the news. :giggle:

 

[cassie225]

You should be here in Louisiana-they have closed down the interstates,schools are closed,people didn't go to work,people from other states trying to get to Texas thru here have been sitting in cars and trucks for hours-our temperature-28. But we have had 40 accidents in the city I live in and the roads are iced over.They ran outta sand for the roads. There is some snow on the rooftops-not enough on the ground for a snowball fight!! Coming from Detroit I find it comical-but if your are not used to driving in that kind of weather-Well. Hope its not like this next Friday-I leave on the Crescent for NJ. Just letting y'all know whats going on in my part of the world.

 

[SarahZ]

Metra just issued an alert that Monday is going to suck.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

You should be here in Louisiana-they have closed down the interstates,schools are closed,people didn't go to work,people from other states trying to get to Texas thru here have been sitting in cars and trucks for hours-our temperature-28. But we have had 40 accidents in the city I live in and the roads are iced over.They ran outta sand for the roads. There is some snow on the rooftops-not enough on the ground for a snowball fight!! Coming from Detroit I find it comical-but if your are not used to driving in that kind of weather-Well. Hope its not like this next Friday-I leave on the Crescent for NJ. Just letting y'all know whats going on in my part of the world.

Yes, days like this really annoy me here in South Texas. Work says to come in, which is perfectly fine, but then the nanny state says ALL HIGHWAYS ARE CLOSED - STAY HOME! Ok, so I still have to get to work but the highways are all closed and the surface roads are full of potholes, horribly timed lights, and endless construction. Which is why we take the ****** freeways in the first place. Nobody is moving, nobody can go anywhere, it's just one huge clusterfork of stupidity. Let those of us who are willing to take on the risk get on the freeways. Let those who are destined to crash complete their destiny. Let the rest of us get some work done. It's the natural order of things and we're completely screwing it up because every single person in the whole world is a precious soul that must be protected from their own actions. Eight billion unique snowflakes that cannot be allowed to make even the most basic decisions on their own because if they ever got hurt that would be too tragic to bear. How did we end up becoming a giant nursery for adults?

 

[Bob Dylan]

21 Degrees/Icy Roads/400+ Accidents in Austin (most just fender benders)/All Freeways (and Toll Roads) closed/ It's going to Warm up to 68 today and 70s here!! My gfs flight to Atlanta is Cancelled today/the Plane never got here last night! Looks like the South and the North and Midwest are going to have the Worst of it this weekend! Time for Spring Folks! :help:

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Just finished reading this & looked up to see the news here in the Philly area showing the icy roads in LA (state, not city).

 

[jis]

We are expecting upto 1" of snow today, which should have relatively little impact on anything, well apparently except Amtrak, which already has a number of cancellations on the NEC posted, both Acela and Regionals, and some others are looking suspiciously like heading towards cancellation.

 

[VentureForth]

That's ridiculous.

 

[jis]

NEC still not upto full service even on Sunday. There are two Acela cancellations in each direction between New York and Boston today, and there are several Acela and at least one Regional cancellation between New York and Washington today. Between New York and Boston whatever Acelas are running are either already sold out or very very close to being sold out, so it is not like the cancellations are due to lack of demand. If it is dues to Acela equipment problems due to cold, which seems likely, then it is unlikely that the situation will improve before week after next.

 

[CHamilton]

Amtrak Chicago Hub Service Modified on Monday, Jan. 27
Service maintained on all routes, some frequency reductions due to extreme weather conditions
Jan. 25, 20145:00 p.m. CT
Following conversations with freight railroads that host Amtrak trains to and from Chicago and in consultation with state transportation departments that sponsor the services, Amtrak will operate modified schedules for Chicago Hub Services on Monday, Jan. 27.These cancelations are being announced on a precautionary basis and are designed to maintain service on all routes while reducing exposure of Amtrak passengers, crews and rail equipment to extreme weather conditions now forecast.

Passengers are urged to use caution making their way to and from stations and to expect delays in bitter cold, gusty winds and blowing snow.

The following Amtrak Chicago Hub Services will not be available on Monday, Jan. 27:

• Lincoln Service Trains 300, 301, 306 & 307 are canceled.

(Trains 302, 303, 304 & 305 and Trains 21/321 & 22/322 will maintain service on the Chicago-St. Louis corridor)

• Hiawatha Service Trains 329, 332, 333, 336, 337 & 340 are canceled.

(Trains 330, 331, 334, 335, 338, 339, 341 & 342 will maintain service on the Chicago-Milwaukee corridor)

• Wolverine Service Trains 350 & 355 are canceled.

(Trains 351, 352, 353 & 354 will maintain service on the Chicago-Ann Arbor-Detroit/Pontiac corridor)

• Illinois Zephyr & Carl Sandburg Trains 382 & 383 are canceled.

(Trains 380 & 381 will maintain service on the Chicago-Macomb-Quincy corridor)

• Saluki & Illini Trains 392 & 393 are canceled.

(Trains 390 & 391 and Trains 58 & 59 will maintain service on the Chicago-Champaign-Carbondale corridor)

No changes are planned at this time for other Chicago Hub Services, including Michigan routes to and from Grand Rapids/Holland and Port Huron/East Lansing, Missouri service between Kansas City and St. Louis and Indiana service to and from Indianapolis.

This Service Alert will be updated by 4:00 p.m. CT on Monday, Jan. 27, with cancelations for Tuesday, Jan. 28.

Passengers who have paid but choose not to travel due to this service disruption can receive a refund or a voucher for future travel. Some reservations booked online can be modified or canceled on Amtrak.com or by using the free Amtrak mobile app.

Amtrak regrets any inconvenience. This information is correct as of the above time and date. Information is subject to change as conditions warrant. Passengers are encouraged to call 800-USA-RAIL or visit Amtrak.com/alerts for Service Alerts and Passenger Notices. Schedule information and train status updates are available at the Amtrak.com home page.

 

[fairviewroad]

Yes, days like this really annoy me here in South Texas. Work says to come in, which is perfectly fine, but then the nanny state says ALL HIGHWAYS ARE CLOSED - STAY HOME! Ok, so I still have to get to work but the highways are all closed and the surface roads are full of potholes, horribly timed lights, and endless construction. Which is why we take the ****** freeways in the first place. Nobody is moving, nobody can go anywhere, it's just one huge clusterfork of stupidity. Let those of us who are willing to take on the risk get on the freeways. Let those who are destined to crash complete their destiny. Let the rest of us get some work done. It's the natural order of things and we're completely screwing it up because every single person in the whole world is a precious soul that must be protected from their own actions. Eight billion unique snowflakes that cannot be allowed to make even the most basic decisions on their own because if they ever got hurt that would be too tragic to bear. How did we end up becoming a giant nursery for adults?

Okay, I did enjoy reading this.

 

[jis]

On Jan 27 on the NEC spine, 5 Acela round trips are canceled between New York and Washington, of which 4 are round trips to Boston. All Regionals are finally running as per timetable.

 

[VentureForth]

NERs don't have diners, do they?

Poor souls - no Acela, no food.

 

[SarahZ]

Our university is closed, but our office is open. Personally, I think the university jumped the gun. It's cold, but not THAT cold (maybe -10 with the wind, and we've had class in -10 weather a few times during the past couple of weeks), and the roads were clear-ish this morning. They were kind of yuck, but it was the normal winter yuck, not impassable.

It's supposed to be worse tomorrow, with a -35 windchill, so I'm not sure if I'll have class. This is getting kind of old. Between the weather cancellations and professors canceling class due to illness, we're WAY behind on our syllabi.