When that happens, the polar vortex weakens or breaks apart, allowing cold Arctic air to spill into lower latitudes. That’s exactly what happened in early March 2025. A sharp burst of stratospheric ...

Several days with temperatures of 10-20 degrees below the historical average could be dangerous to plants and ruin outdoor ...

A sudden stratospheric warming event reversed the winds that make up the northern polar vortex on March 9. A new animation shows the vortex also moved away from the Arctic towards Europe.

The cause of the week-long deep freeze? A polar vortex collapse. Now, meteorologists are calling for another collapse in the middle of March, one that could plunge the U.S., Canada, and parts of ...

Why has April in Chicago been cold so far? A big factor is the disruptions in the polar vortex, even as the “polar vortex season” is winding down, according to NBC 5 Meteorologist Kevin Jeanes. When ...

When a polar vortex breaks down entirely, it is called "sudden stratospheric warming (SSW)." This has been linked to many spells of cold winter weather in recent years, according to the Met Office.

over the Arctic. When these winds weaken, as has been happening recently, filaments of the vortex can break off, and meander south into the U.S., Europe and parts of Asia. Last month, parts of the ...

Devastating winter storms that led to deaths and power outages across the UK and Ireland were driven by an intense swirling vortex of winds miles above the Arctic, scientists have revealed. In ...

A significant disruption to the polar vortex over far Northern Canada will keep the pattern’s influence locked in our neck of the woods like a houseguest overstaying their welcome.

Like ocean waves, Rossby waves can "break" on top of the polar vortex, weakening it and — in extreme cases — reversing the direction of its winds. Last year, a sudden stratospheric warming ...

"The large polar vortex disruption from the second week of ... "we are going to get a much deserved break" from severe weather as a powerful cold front moves off the East Coast late Sunday and ...