For my recent event, I chose the December 2022 polar vortex. I picked this event because the polar vortex is one of those events many people have heard of but do not fully understand its power or the domino effect it causes. The event I chose to analyze affected air travel across the U.S. and was just an incredible event of changing aviation operations so quickly. It was also a period of multiple interacting hazards, as snow, ice, and winds affected operations differently across locations. In Seattle, there were low-visibility issues. In the Midwest, airports were struggling to remove snow as it was piling up so quickly. As a professional in the aviation industry, this event just reiterated to me that hazards frequently occur together, making aviation operations much more complicated than they already are. The fundamental cause of this event was a disruption of the polar vortex. The polar vortex is a circulation pattern that usually keeps Arctic cold air locked in high latitudes. When it weakens, that cold air can spill south. Structurally, that creates a dip in the jet stream that funnels cold air into the U.S., precisely what happened during this event. The storms were supercharged with energy. As snow fell, it released the latent heat of fusion, which can further fuel storms. Strong winds created turbulence, leading to higher fuel burn and further turmoil. Jet stream shifted southward, steering Arctic air masses into the U.S. Low-pressure systems whipped up storms across regions, and local circulation patterns created unique hazards. I found it interesting how a global-scale circulation change translated into these very local-scale aviation impacts. Cold fronts bulldozed across the Midwest, dropping snow and freezing rain. Warm fronts scooted across the Southeast, setting the stage for Arctic air clashes. Frontal boundaries are like storm factories, decreasing flight scheduling predictability. The part that really stood out to me was how aviation can reflect what is happening in the atmosphere. A single event involving the polar vortex disruption caused hazards that affected multiple regions of the country. I think for aviation professionals, events like this are a good reminder that they not only have to respond to the weather but also forecast atmospheric forces that may develop into hazards.
U.S. braces for a harsh December as polar patterns shift. Global Climate Risks. (2025, December 9). https://globalclimaterisks.org/insights/blog/polar-vortex-disruption-december-2025-us/
Yaniz, B. J. (2025, December 12). Flight delays and airport impacts: December 12, 2025. The Adept Traveler. https://adept.travel/news/2025-12-12-us-flight-delays-december-12-2025
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