Meteorologists warn of extremely early disruption of the polar vortex, which may have a significant impact on the course of this winter. According to the latest models this is the earliest event of this type in the last 70 years, the website reports.
“This is a very unusual phenomenon – We have seen similar warming of the stratosphere in November only a few times since the middle of the 20th century,” writes a portal that follows the development of the polar vortex.
Above the North Pole, sudden stratospheric warming begins, causing the polar vortex to break up – a huge circulation of winds, which closes the cold air in the Arctic region in winter. Under normal circumstances, the vortex acts as a “lock” of cold. But now it is opening.
Temperatures in the upper part of the atmosphere these days rise by more than 40 °C above the average, which, according to experts, signals a massive weakening of the polar flow. “If the vortex breaks up completely, cold arctic air can be released to lower latitudes,” meteorologists from NOAA-Climate explain.
The peak of warming is expected to occur around November 26, the earliest on record in 70 years. Similar events have occurred only three times in the past – in 1958, 1968 and 2000. Two of them led to the complete collapse of the polar vortex, which subsequently caused significant cooling and snow disasters in North America. Europe experienced only milder fluctuations then, but it is possible that the situation will be different this year.
According to experts, this is an event that can determine the character of the entire winter. “This type of early disruption of the polar vortex is extremely rare and can cause significant changes in global weather patterns,” the climatologists report. If the predictions come true, we are in for a winter of sharp contrasts – from warm starts to sudden colds and snow that may arrive earlier than expected.
