The time before that, 1985. Many are blaming our current weather pattern on something called the polar vortex. So, we sent nbc10s lauren mayk over to the Weather Center to ask glenn to help us understand what it is. Glenn schwartz all right, first of all, its nothing new. Its been around forever. Meteorologists have used the term forever. Its just something thats come into the public in just the last few years. The coldest air in the world is at the pole. And normally, you have that the jet stream up there just spinning around and around and around, keeping the coldest air on earth right up there. Sometimes, it will shift with a certain weather pattern and start coming down toward canada, or it could go to the other side of the world towards siberia. And its carrying that coldest air with it. So, as that polar vortex gets closer to us, its bringing that frigid air with it. Lauren mayk and the fact that were seeing it now, what does that have to do with it . Is it a Global Warming thing . Whats causing it . Glenn no, its weather patterns. It happens occasionally. Now, is it happening more often than it used to . Is it more extreme than it used to be . There are some theories and there have been some papers written on the fact that the melting of the ice in the arctic is allowing this polar vortex thats normally stuck up there to move around more. And while the earth warms up overall, you get stuck under that polar vortex and youre getting what we get. Lauren so, what we are getting, how long does this last . Does this mean that we should prepare to see a lot more of Colder Weather throughout the whole winter . Glenn generally speaking, these things dont last even as long as theyve lasted already. And there are certainly signs that it willthe pattern will break up, and it will be much more of a normal pattern within even next week things are going to be changing somewhat. But i cant guarantee you that its not going to come back at some point like in february. The general trend would be for a more typical rest of the winter. Lauren you know, a lot of thingsanother thing weve been talking a lot about is this bomb cyclone. What is that . Glenn a bomb. Lauren it makes it sound bad. Glenn yeah, well, it is bad for a lot of people who are affected by it. We also call it bombogenesis. Its a real meteorological term, right. Its a real meteorological term, its been around for decades. And i think the term comes from if you look at a weather map and you look at those lines of equal pressure, when bombogenesis is going on, those lines get closer and closer together, and theres more and more of them. And if you look at the picture, the animation, it almost looks like theres a bomb ready to go off. And so, theres a certain criteria, the pressure has to drop a certain amount in 24 hours, and then its officially bombogenesis. Lauren does anything typically follow this kind of winter in terms of what the spring is going to look like . Glenn i dont think theres a real trend in any of that. We do have the la nina going on out in the pacific, the tropical pacific. Thats colder than normal ocean water covering a very large area. And when you have a la nina, you do tend to have an active Hurricane Season in the atlantic the next summer and fall. So, thats the one thing that would be maybe predictable as long as that la nina continues is that theres going to be another bad Hurricane Season. Lauren and do things seem to be following their typical patterns . Youve been watching this stuff for a long time. Does it seem to be following typical patterns, or is there anything different about this year . Glenn well, not just this year. Over the last 10 to 15 years, we have set all kinds of records not just in philadelphia, but all over the country, all over the world. The weather seems to me, who ive been following the weather for nearly 50 years, is more extreme. The extremes are more extreme. Weve always had extreme weather, but weve never had multiple 20inch snow storms in philadelphia. Weve never had the amount of rain in one day that weve had. Houston has never had close to that kind of rain that theyve had in the hurricanes. The thing that is common, the Common Thread is more extreme. You can get extreme heat, but you can also get extreme cold while the earth is warming up overall. Thats that polar vortex thing getting knocked off possibly by the melting ice in the arctic. Lauren all right, glenn, we are glad that you are here to help us understand it and to understand what happens next. Erin of course, were experiencing a Northern Hemisphere polar vortex, but theres also a Southern Hemisphere polar vortex as well. And believe it or not, Scientists Say its stronger, colder, and longer lasting than its northern counterpart. Some of us resolve to save more money this year and are determined to see it through. Nbcs Chris Clackum explains why Financial Experts say the payoff is worth the pain. Chris clackum work out more, eat less, quit smoking and or drinking. The top resolutions for 2018 arent that much different from years past, and neither is the projected date for breaking, sometime around the end of january. Greg mcbride number one resolution, save more money. Chris but bankrate. Coms greg mcbride says breaking Financial Resolutions like saving more can be risky, especially if theres an emergency. Greg you want to have enough to cover 6 months worth of expensive ideally in your emergency fund. Chris setting aside 10 to 15 of your paycheck is the target he sets for a Retirement Fund thats easier to hit with help from your employer. Greg maximize the employer match in your 401k and use those Tax Advantages as a tailwind on your retirement savings. Chris another important resolution, mcbride also advocates getting out of debt in 2018, especially with Interest Rates rising. Greg you want to insulate yourself from further interest rating increases and give yourself the opportunity to make serious headway on paying down that debt. Chris Chris Clackum, nbc news. Erin next on nbc10 issue, the myth of divorce. The main reason couples break up may not be what you expect. That plus the top three life factors that up the risk of a split. ,000 deaths in america last year. We need to stand up and say enough. The only way this problem is going to be solved is if we raise our voices. Choose help over helplessness, hope over hopelessness. Make sure that the lives weve lost will not have been lost in vain. Addiction is a disease. When you ask for help, help is there for you. Erin nearly half of all marriages in the us fail, that according to the American Psychological association, which says youre even less likely to stay hitched the second time around. Locally, youre most likely to split if you live in delaware, where the divorce rate was 3. 1 in 2015, followed by new jersey at 2. 8, and pennsylvania at 2. 6. Nbc10s Rosemary Connors discussed the latest research with dr. George james. Dr. James, a psychologist with the council for relationships, specializes in couples and family therapy. Rosemary connors thanks for being with us, dr. James. George james thank you, rosemary. Rosemary okay, so its not arguing, its not cheating. Researchers say the number one reason is actually a lack of commitment. In fact, researchers have found about half of all divorces come from relatively low conflict relationships. Explain this for us. George so, i mean, commitment is a huge part, right . And so, we enter into our marriage, and some people have the thought of like, this is going to be forever. Like illto the day i die, im going to be with this person. Rosemary till death do us part. George right, and they actually believe that, and thats part of their commitment. We see it as a longterm thing. While other people, they see it as, okay, until a situation happens, or until theres an incident, or until the kids go away to school. And when we talk about commitment, really its one of the different aspects of commitment. For some people, theyll be committed to the aspects of if we get divorced or not. So, for what i mean by that is, what happens to the children . What happens to my partner . What happens to me financially . Thats a part of commitment. Thats important that can keep people for a certain period of within their marriage. But a deeper commitment is i love this person, or i see myself connected to this person, or i know that i can go through tough times with this person, or i know that i only want to be with this person, i dont think about anybody else. So, its a different form of commitment that is deeper that allows people to last much longer in their marriages than if its just what happens to the kids because once you saw that problem, you might say, i dont need to be married anymore. Rosemary its time, time to get divorced. All right, lets talk about risk factors. Some of the Research Suggests that some of the top risk factors include marrying young, less education, less income, living together before marriage. In your practice, what have you found are some risk factors . George you know, what ive seen for people is that when theyvewhen theres deep emotional hurt, wounds to the place where they dont know if they can really overcome it. And so, you know, i can think of a few couples that ive worked with now that are on the verge of divorce, where it just got to this place where whatever happened, and it couldve been one of those issues, one of those risk factors rosemary or cheating. I mean, were not putting that out there. George and thats a huge part of my practice that i see. It gets to this place where people feel like, i dont know if i can really work this out. Or i dont know if i still have it in me to be with you. Like, i dont know if we can overcome these obstacles. And it feels so overwhelming and so real that theyre unable to do that. And you know, like you know, i think of a person im working with now, and theyre at the place where they dont know if their partner really loves them anymore, cares for them anymore. And they dontthey cant see past that. And so, thats what i mean in terms of like i think theres some other factors that add in to where people say, it might be better for me to just not be in this marriage. Rosemary mmhmm. If people are struggling in their relationships, in their marriages, what advice do you give them . What steps can they take to get it back on track . George you know, obviously as a therapist, im going to say you should see a therapist, right . Thats what i do, but thats also what i believe in. And ive seen people in all those risk factors, whether it be abuse, whether that bei mean, abuse is one of those areas that its a little bit more serious, where someone might need to say like, this is better for me not to be married. But when we talk about infidelity, when we talk about even sometimes addiction or just, as we mentioned, low commitment, sometimes getting help can make the difference. Ive seen people go from having a horrible relationship, on the verge of divorce, working through it, and now having the best relationship of their lives. And thats because they did the hard work. They had those conversations and they talked about things that were really overwhelming and tough. Rosemary of course, communication is essential in a marriage. And as the therapist, sort of the mediator, youre kind of the primary communicator. George right, and just helping people to realize what are they not saying to each other . What are the places that they were hurt . And one of the things that often comes up is that were not mind readers, right . I dont know that what i just did hurt you or hurt you in that particular way that you dont even want to be with me anymore. And just being able to talk about that, talk about money, sex, and other parts of relationships that can help people to now say, we can overcome it. I think thats the main part. The other thing that ive seen is the willingness to invest in your relationships. Constantly, couples get to the place where they just stop. They stop dating, they stop having fun, they stop going out, they stop doing things that made them like each other, and now theyre maybe filled with responsibility or other things. Rosemary stress. George stress, right . And theyre just overwhelmed, but not feeling the good parts of the relationship. Thats the other part that helps the commitment. That if i remember that i not only do i love this person, but i have fun with this person. I have good times with this person. Then i want to stay with this person. But if all i remember is the stress, the last argument, the time that you hurt me, then maybe i dont want to be with you. Rosemary dr. George james, as always, thank you so much for your insight and for your advice. George thank you, i appreciate it. Erin in the united kingdom, researchers call tomorrow, monday january 8, divorce day. Its the day when most online searches for a divorce happen. Psychologists think its because couples come under a lot of pressure during the holidays, things like dealing with extended family and financial pressure. And of course, couples spend a lot more time together, which can spell trouble for relationships that are already on shaky ground. Faith in foles. Eagles insider dave spadaro weighs in on everything the team is doing to prepare for the playoffs. Thats next. Erin the regular season is behind us and were looking to the future. The eagles need two playoff wins to secure their ticket to the super bowl. But do the birds have what it takes . Nbc10s lauren mayk sat down with eagles insider dave spadaro to find out. Lauren the eagles last performance getting a lot of folks concerned, especially with the offense. Quarterback nick foles has been getting a lot of practice time, but do you think that were going to see the backup quarterback nate sudfeld on the field january 13 . Dave spadaro yeah, no, i dont. I think that Everybody Needs to exhale a bit here. Nick foles has been in the nfl for six seasons. He started the playoff game in 2013, did a really nice job, left the field with the lead. And he struggled a little bit here the last couple of games, no question about it. Theyve worked all week and practiced, and have still have another week of practice to go. Nate sudfeld is a young, developing quarterback. And honestly, lauren, in football, the backup quarterback is always the most popular man in town, right . Lauren till they have to till they have to get on the field. Dave so, while they think that he will develop into a nice quarterback, right now nates job is to support nick foles. Nate takes no reps in practice. Disaster would have to strike for nate sudfeld to play on saturday. Lauren some would say disaster has already struck. Dave it hasnt, though. Heres whats so crazy, the eagles won three of the four games that nick has played in. He came in los angeles and won the Fourth Quarter there. He went to new york, won that game, beat the Oakland Raiders, clinched number one seed. Then he only played one seasonone quarter last week against the Dallas Cowboys. He played here in 2013 against the saints, had a good game. When he left the field in that playoff game, the eagles led, so hes got playoff experience. The sky has not fallen here, philadelphia. Next saturday, you will be hyped, you will be amped, you will watch the eagles win as a team in the playoffs. Thats how theyre going to do it. With carson wentz, the eagles led the lead in scoring, it was beautiful. Touchdown, reigning touchdown. Its just a different way to win now, thats the approach. Lauren well, lets talk about that because we have heard from coach peterson, he has already said that the run game has to improve. What else does the team really need to work on . Dave i mean, they need to they need to run the football effectively. They need to catch the football effectively. They need to stop the mental mistakes, the penalties that have killed them. First and second down has really killed the eagles and put them in third and long positions, so its really going to take a team effort. And then, of course, look, you win with your defense as well. The eagles have played very good defense the last couple of weeks here. Theyre primed to do that at home. But we see here against the Dallas Cowboys last week a sloppy performance. You know, mistakes offensively in the quarter that they played. The eagles had been working all this past week, theyre going to work in the week ahead, a little more physical practice, more intensity, and it will be a Different Team come saturday. Lauren and speaking of practice, coach peterson also has said that the players approached him and asked to practice in pads before the playoffs. Is that an unusual request . Dave its a little bit unusual. Usually, youre really worn down at the end of the season, your hands hurt, your legs hurt, your backs sore, so you kind of ease into it. What the eagles have done, because they clinched the number one seed a couple of weeks ago, they were able to use the week prior to the dallas game to kind of scale back practices, ease off the players, get their legs back. Now, its time to ramp things back up with padded practices, no tackling, but padded practices, feel physical, get that urgency, that intensity back. Lauren so, i know you say that, you know, disaster hasnt struck, but what do you say to the fans who are worried, stressed out maybe that, you know, its going to be a one and done . You know, going to have the one playoff game and then youre out. Dave between this and the weather, philadelphias in a up in arms here. Heres what i say, enjoy the playoffs, okay . Its the First Time Since 2013, it doesnt happen all the time. This is a good football team, and i mean team. Good defense, good special teams, and an offense that prior to the game against the Oakland Raiders had played very well all season. So, relax on saturday, enjoy it. Watch the game right here no nbc10. Enjoy it or go to the stadium, its going to be electric, and lets hope this team and the city wins together. Lauren well, lets talk about maybe if you dont want to be relaxing, maybe you want to get out and burn off a little steam for folks who maybe want to get in a better shape next year. Lets talk about the eagles autism challenge. Tell us what that is, when its happening. Dave yeah, its may 19, its an organizational wide event. And we are asking eagles fans, everyone who cares about autism, which is obviously a lot of people, it affects so many families, to join in the cause. The entire organization will embark on this day and take part in three different races. Theres a 15mile, 30mile, 50mile. Philadelphiaeagles. Com has all the information. Eaglesautismchallenge. Org as well. Its a great cause, the entire team will be there. And who knows, you may be biking next to carson wentz, urging him to pick up the pace in may. That knee will be healthy enough to ride 50 miles, why cant you . Lauren thats a reason to go right there. Thanks, dave. Dave thank you. Erin the eagles will play their first playoff game on saturday, january 13 at 4 35 p. M. , and you could watch it right here on nbc10. Your phone is filled with holiday pictures, so whats the best way to print them . Were going to show you some apps that make printing a snap next. Erin many of us took dozens of pictures on our smart phones this holiday season, and now its time to print them. One way is to use a photo printing app. Nbcs Mike Wendland has some tips. Mike wendland snapfish is a quick and simple option for printing out snapshots at an affordable price, starting with the 100 4x6 inch prints that you get free every month. You do have to pay for shipping. If you dont want to wait for your shots to arrive by mail, theyll partner with retailers like walmart, cvs, and walgreens, and you can order and pick them up locally. You can even use this app to get images printed on things like calendars, cards, and pillowcases. Its free for ios and android. The kodak moments app also offers the convenience of ordering pictures for pickup at many local retailers. It also allows you to order photos and have them shipped right to you with all kinds of sizes and card stocks to choose from. You can even use photos to create one of a kind gifts like photo books, mugs, cards, magnets, and more also free for ios and android. And if youre looking for especially high quality photo prints, consider the mpix app. Now, youll pay a little bit more, but the quality is higher than youll get from just about anywhere else. And you can order photos of any size, almost any kind of paper stock depending on how much you want to spend. The app itself is free for ios and android. Im pc Mike Wendland for nbc news. Erin for more details about the photo printing apps, check out the nbc10 app, or log on to nbc10. Com. Thats it for this edition of nbc10 issue, thanks for joining us. Im erin coleman, have a great sunday, and dont forget to join me again tomorrow and every weekday for your local news right here on nbc10. Your husband wants to stay free from artificial ingredients. You want to stay free from artificial preservatives. And your debit card wants to stay on a diet. Fill your cart with Small Victories like giants natures promise brand. Great prices on over 1,300 items. Eat well for less. Only at my giant. Advertisement for the 3 week yoga retreat. Brought to you by beachbody. Are you a woman of a certain age . If you are, pull up a chair and sit with me, because this is for you. 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