Cool Weather Comes To Grand Rapids This Week, But Don’t Call It “The Polar Vortex”

It will be chiller than normal this week, and many weather sites are referring to it as the return of the Polar Vortex. But it isn't. It will just seem like it.

Maybe it is a summer version of the "polar vortex" that will drift on down from the north starting Monday night into Tuesday morning, making your July feel more like late September.

We've yet to see our first 90 degree day of the summer of 2014 yet, and it doesn't look like it's coming soon. Grand Rapids is on a list of cities in the Upper Midwest slated for a cooler summer than normal, and a big dip in temperatures next week. Average highs will barely hit 70 and the night time lows may very well dip into the 40s. Yikes!

So let me ask you, is the summer vortex really a bad thing? I steamed in the miserable, humid summers along the Chesapeake Bay for years, and I can tell you, that's no picnic. You wind up spending more time in the air conditioned comfort of your home than outdoors. I welcome the cool summer. It's been comfortable enough for an evening walk without sweat soaking my clothes, so I say bring on the summer polar vortex. If it means a warmer winter, I'll take it. (I don't have the heart to tell myself, that it doesn't mean a warmer winter.)

By the way, Canadian forecasts make it feel colder when they describe the dips in terms of Celsius.

It could be worse. Historians like to share the tale of the dreaded Summer Of 1816, which has long been regarded as "The Year Without A Summer". Although that was caused by a massive volcano blowing its top, rather than a stubborn Arctic wind stream.