The Northern hemisphere has experienced severe icy weather and cold in the past two weeks. The Arctic storms are wreaking havoc, with major flight delays, cancellations and aviation accidents across several parts of Asia, Europe, and North America.
According to CNN, the freezing weather results from the destabilisation of the Arctic jet stream. Due to the increasing temperatures, the jet stream is swinging south and pushing cold Arctic air, or a polar vortex, into affected areas.
The Arctic is warming four times faster than the rest of the planet, explained John Walsh, the Chief Scientist at the International Arctic Research Center. Scientists believe that the phenomenon, known as Arctic amplification, will not only intensify but that the world will see more extreme weather in the future.
The following airports are currently affected by the Arctic storms:
- Canada: Vancouver International Airport, Kelowna International Airport, and Victoria International Airport
- USA: Newark Liberty International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Denver International Airport, Chicago Midway International Airport, Chicago O’Hare International Airport
- Norway: Oslo Gardermoen Airport
- Belgium: Brussels Airport
- Germany: Frankfurt Airport, Munich Airport, Saarbruecken Airport, Düsseldorf Airport, and Cologne Bonn Airport.
- UK: Bristol Airport
- Netherlands: Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
- India: Indira Gandhi International Airport
- Japan: New Chitose Airport
- South Korea: Jeju International Airport
