Calm Down, the Polar Vortex Isn't Coming Back

Don't worry, things won't be this bad.

It was very cold this winter throughout much of the United States.  Here in Pennsylvania, temperatures often never got above freezing, which is a good ten to fifteen degrees below average.  There were quite a few days where it didn't go past the low teens.  It was not fun.  Now, cooler temperatures are in the forecast this upcoming week, all because of a mass of cool polar air.  Good news for us all.
Headlines are declaring this the return of the polar vortex, but it isn't

This whole chain of events started half a world away, with Typhoon Neoguri.  It set off the jet stream, which caused it to dip far to the south, down into the Midwest.  Normally, the jet stream stays in the polar region over the summer, which is why this sort of thing doesn't happen over the summer.  This phenomenon is known as a high meridional event, and while it is similar to a polar vortex, it isn't the same.  Most importantly, it's July.  20 degrees below average translates to a nice day.  In the winter, 20 degrees below average was brutal cold.  This event will also not last as long, temperatures should be back to normal by the end of the week.  What we do have to worry is the extreme temperature differences creating severe storms, which the West actually needs pretty bad.  They're in a terrible drought right now, and this could do them some good.  So, far from being the end of the world, this blast of cool air could help us out.

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