Severe Weather Europe is reporting that a polar vortex is forming in the Stratosphere over the North Pole.
“It began forming as seasonal cooling intensified and will continue to strengthen well into the Winter of 2022/2023,” says Severe Weather Europe. “[R]egardless of strong, weak, or collapsed, it always plays an important weather role.”
It is too early to tell precisely what effect the polar vortex will have this winter, or where it will have the largest impact, but recognizing that a polar vortex is forming is important to anticipate and help monitor and track extreme winter weather.
As Severe Weather Europe writes:
… the Polar Vortex behaves like a very large cyclone, covering the whole north pole, down to the mid-latitudes. It is connected through all atmospheric levels, from the ground up, but usually has different shapes at different altitudes.
Be aware of its “arms” (southern excursions of the jet stream) extending into the lower latitudes, bringing along colder air and snowfall. These arms also pack a lot of energy and can create strong winter storms, like a Noreaster’ in the United States or cold air outbreaks in Europe.