Recently our national weather news has been filled with meteorological superlatives. We cannot say we weren’t forewarned about the unusual weather which descended upon the US in late January 2026. We have experienced an unusual dose of winter woes, ranging from snow, to sleet, to freezing rain, to wind. This plethora of weather events has brought with it miseries ranging from frozen water pipes, vehicle accidents, flight cancellations and power failures, not to mention human discomfort, injury, and even death. As of this writing citizen human deaths have risen to 34 and counting.
The United States has endured the most protracted stretch of cold weather in several years. The public tunes in to media weather reports for an explanation. An important term has been introduced to our weather-aware public in the last several decades. It is called the POLAR VORTEX, a feature of the divinely created weather system operating on our planet for thousands of years.
Before discussing specific details of our recent weather woes, we cite several scripture references from the Old Testament. The Book of Job possesses fascinating scientific insights concerning creation events, behavior of living things, and events from the world of nature, including weather phenomena. This OT book is filled with up to date commentary on scientific issues in a piece of divinely inspired literature composed about 3500 years ago.
Following are two insightful meteorological passages from the Book of Job. They both relate to winter blasts of extremely cold air.
By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad water are frozen fast (Job 37:10-11 ESV). From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen
(Job 38:29-30 ESV).
The destructive winter blasts of January 2026 and several thousand years ago were caused by manifestations of the polar vortex, described initially by scientists in 1853. We copy a paragraph from our 2/17/19 post dealing with Planet Earth’s two polar vortexes:
“There are two types of polar vortexes: tropospheric and stratospheric. Both vortexes consist of air circulating west to east, but differ in their size. Earth’s troposphere is the zone of Earth’s atmosphere where virtually all weather occurs. It hugs the Earth’s surface, ascending to various heights—highest at the equator (12 mi) but not as high at the poles (4 mi). Earth’s stratosphere rests atop the troposphere. Its temperature begins to rise as altitude increases. On occasion, various phenomena contribute to SSW (sudden stratospheric warming) at high latitudes around the poles. As a result the stratospheric polar vortex weakens, sending intensely cold air masses southward. The weaker the stratospheric polar vortex, the more likely we will receive a heavy dose of uncommon and intense cold. Truly intense stratospheric polar vortexes strike the US rarely, perhaps every few years.”
It is ironic that sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) triggers intense cooling at other locations on our planet! This mystery is studied by an army of weather scientists. In addition to the stratospheric polar vortex which was largely responsible for our recent intensely cold weather, other, more familiar weather phenomena made the event even more intense. These phenomena are called the polar jet streams. We might say that an additional polar vortex—the tropospheric polar vortex—locates the jet streams. These moving air streams locate wam/cold and dry/moist air masses and cause them to move. Our changeable yet beneficial weather systems owe their existence to jet streams. “Then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit” (Leviticus 26:4 ESV).
Job 37-38 refers to other weather wonders such as snow, lightning, and thunder from the dialog between Elihu and God Himself. These verses highlight humanity’s lack of knowledge concerning meteorological wonders which sustain life on Planet Earth.
We sympathize with media meteorologists who attempt to explain not only pleasant, beneficial weather, but also the complexities of unpleasant events such as the tropospheric polar vortex.
We close with a devotional passage from Rev. 4:11:
“Worthy are you our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (ESV)
