Russia and Ukraine have topped the news headlines in recent months, but Russia also enjoys a unique position in manufacturing the vast majority of the polar air across the Northern Hemisphere. The nation covers an area of well over 6 million square miles, and its most southern point at 41°N is at the same latitude as Chicago and New York City.
TIM VASQUEZ is a former Air Force forecaster and author of Digital Atmosphere, a weather forecasting software program. He lives near Norman, Oklahoma, where he keeps busy as a weather consultant and software developer.