The stratospheric polar vortex is an area of high-speed, cyclonically rotating winds around 15 km to 50 km high, poleward of 50°, and is strongest in winter. It forms during autumn when Arctic or Antarctic temperatures cool rapidly as the polar night begins.

The polar vortex is a large area of low pressure and cold air surrounding both of the Earth’s poles. It ALWAYS exists near the poles, but weakens in summer and strengthens in winter. The term "vortex" refers to the counter-clockwise flow of air that helps keep the colder air near the Poles.

Jan 20, 2025 · A polar vortex dipping down from Siberia is bringing a cold front with frigid temperatures to millions Americans. See maps of the arctic blast.

A polar vortex is a large area of low-pressure and cold air that surrounds both of the Earth's poles. While it always exists near the poles it weakens in summer and strengthens in winter. During ...

Dec 20, 2024 · The polar vortex is a whirling cone of low pressure over the poles that's strongest in the winter months due to the increased temperature contrast between the polar regions and the...

Jan 17, 2025 · These conditions are all thanks to a familiar sounding occurrence: the polar vortex, a large area of low pressure and cold air that surrounds the Earth's poles. The "vortex" is the...

Jan 30, 2025 · The polar vortex during the middle of January 2024 (and much of the 2023-2024 winter season) was often in a weakened and disrupted state. The main west-to-east winds that make up the vortex had weakened and were displaced off the pole, allowing warmer air into the Arctic stratosphere.

Mar 5, 2021 · When the Arctic polar vortex is especially strong and stable (left globe), it encourages the polar jet stream, down in the troposphere, to shift northward. The coldest polar air stays in the Arctic.

May 21, 2024 · The polar jet stream and polar vortex are two rings of fast-moving air around the Arctic, which play a large role in world weather patterns. Many climate scientists believe that global warming is changing these rings, in ways that allow freezing air from the Arctic to intrude on the warmer mid-latitude regions.

Jan 20, 2014 · polar vortex, large area of persistent low pressure generally located above each of Earth’s polar regions and containing a mass of extremely cold air.