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Will there be a second polar vortex in 2021?
Stratospheric Polar Vortex returns for Winter 2021/2022, together with a strong easterly wind anomaly high above the Equator, impacting the Winter season. A new stratospheric Polar Vortex has now emerged over the North Pole and will continue to strengthen well into the Winter of 2021/2022.
What caused the polar vortex to shift?
He explains: warming of the Earth has led to the loss of Arctic sea ice, transforming a highly reflective icy surface to a dark absorptive surface. The change is warming higher latitudes and reducing the temperature difference between the warmer mid-latitude and polar regions.
Is the polar vortex coming 2022?
THE FINAL BREAKDOWN OF THE INTENSE POLAR VORTEX OF 2022 This level is placed at around 30 km altitude. The Polar Vortex during February and even into early March 2022 was very intense and cold, but then a rapid breakdown has occurred through mid-March as we discussed in one of our recent articles.
What is an Arctic polar vortex?
The Arctic polar vortex is a band of strong westerly winds that forms in the stratosphere between about 10 and 30 miles above the North Pole every winter. The winds enclose a large pool of extremely cold air. (There is an even stronger polar vortex in the Southern Hemisphere stratosphere in its winter.)
What happens when the polar vortex breaks?
The Arctic polar vortex occurs in the stratosphere in the winter. When the vortex weakens, shifts, or breaks down, the upheaval is often mirrored in the polar jet stream below. Disruptions of the vortex often lead to cold air outbreaks in the mid-latitudes.
Was there a polar vortex in the southern plains in February?
The polar vortex and the February 2021 cold extreme in the south-central United States According to Butler, it’s reasonable to suppose that the polar vortex played a role in the extreme winter weather outbreak that struck the Southern Plains in late February.
How did the vortex affect the US Weather?
The disruption of the vortex encouraged the polar jet stream to become wavier for several weeks, and in combination with other weather patterns, created favorable conditions for a severe cold air outbreak in the central U.S.” Near-surface air temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere from February 15–22, 2021, compared to the 1981-2010 average.