The Atlantic

Modern Weather Forecasts Are Stunningly Accurate

The polar vortex is just the latest example of how reliable five-day forecasts have become.
Source: NASA / NOAA / CIRES

As the sun rose on Wednesday, 26 million Americans peered out their windows onto a land chilled to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. And that’s when the air was still: When the wind picked up, as it did from Chicago to the Dakotas, it could feel like it was 50 below. Boiling water tossed from a pot turned into a cloud of snow before it could hit the ground.

The experience was half Uz, half Oz. closed. The National Weather Service against “talking” or “taking deep breaths” outside so as to keep delicate lung tissue from freezing on contact.

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