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Understanding the Arctic polar vortex | NOAA Climate.gov

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Polar vortex expert Amy Butler and Arctic expert James Overland offer perspectives on the February cold snap in the southern U.S., the polar vortex, and how the Arctic might influence mid-latitude weather.

Highlights 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. Computer models don't agree on how global warming will affect the polar vortex. Related Content In late February, as the Southern Plains and Gulf Coast suffered through an unusually strong blast of wintry weather, weather talk turned to the polar vortex and the possibility that the extreme cold was yet another example of weather-

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