A complex and highly consequential weather phenomena is slated to take place next week, as air temperatures about 100,000 feet above the surface, skyrocket and swirling winds around the Arctic slow or even reverse direction.
Why it matters: Known as a sudden stratospheric warming event (SSW), this can disrupt the polar vortex and displace frigid air masses into Europe and the eastern U.S.
The first United Nations humanitarian aid convoy entered northwest Syria Thursday, three days after a devastating earthquake struck the region and flattened buildings in parts of both Turkey and Syria.
The big picture: The total death toll surpassed 19,350 Thursday, as search and rescue operations continued after a magnitude 7.8 quake struck Monday morning just north of Turkey's Gaziantep, near the Syrian border.
