Vocabulary

Photo by USGS on Unsplash

Polar vortex
Atmospheric river
Heat dome

Such evocative terms. Such extreme events. At least, these new terms are forcing us to pay attention to the strange ways in which the weather is behaving. They’re saying: hey, you’ve never heard or seen me before… Guess why?

A little dramatic, I know. Perhaps weather forecasters have a flair for theatrics. But that might be a good thing. Nothing like being jolted out of complacency by a few unexpected vocables.

Now, excuse me while I go deal with the aftermath of our latest thundersnow.

A years-long creative exploration of the climate through 100-word stories • WEEK 1

Chantal Bilodeau