A very early and significant disruption to the polar vortex: what are the implications for the weather worldwide?

Arab Weather - Weather specialists at the Arab Weather Regional Center are monitoring a very early and significant disturbance in the Arctic vortex (rare for November) and the resulting formation of an area of high atmospheric pressure, which caused the breaking of the polar jet stream and the resulting cold waves across the northern hemisphere, which are expected to continue in the coming period, God willing.

Sudden warming is causing severe cold waves in Europe and America.

In detail, weather experts at the Arab Weather Regional Center said that as a result of the weakness of the westerly polar winds over the Arctic Circle, and the descent of polar air from the upper levels of the atmosphere close to the Earth's surface, a rare and very early stratospheric warming is occurring in relation to this time of year in the Arctic dome region, which has caused the formation of a strong high-pressure system over the Arctic Circle.

As we mentioned earlier, it is the upper westerly winds that contain the polar air masses in the Arctic, and as a result of their weakness, they are unable to contain the polar air and keep it in its original habitat (the Arctic).

Stratospheric warming affects the polar vortex, causing changes in polar air distribution patterns and directly impacting jet stream movement and weather patterns across the Northern Hemisphere. The resulting high-pressure system is expected to disperse polar air masses, leading to a break in the polar jet stream. This will cause polar air masses to disperse and polar winds to accumulate over northern and western Europe, as well as northeastern North America and Russia, resulting in severe cold waves and heavy snowfall, particularly in North America.

What impact has sudden warming had on weather patterns in the Arab world?

In this context, the Arab Weather Center received many questions about the impact of this on the Arab world. Weather experts said that when warming occurs and the polar jet stream breaks in this way, the accuracy of weather forecasts decreases in the medium and long term due to the many changes that occur in the atmosphere, as it is not possible to determine the consequences of this warming on the weather in the Arab world in the coming weeks.

For those interested and specialists: What is sudden stratospheric warming?

Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) is a weather phenomenon occurring in the stratosphere, where temperatures rise suddenly and dramatically, sometimes by tens of degrees Celsius, within a few days. This phenomenon directly affects the polar vortex, causing it to become disturbed or even collapse, and resulting in significant changes in weather patterns in the regions below it.

The stratospheric polar vortex is a large area of low atmospheric pressure and strong winds that circulates around the North Pole in the stratosphere. The stratospheric polar vortex influences weather patterns in the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe, North America, and Asia. Occasionally, the vortex can become disrupted or disintegrated due to a phenomenon known as "stratospheric abrupt warming," resulting in a flow of cold air from the Arctic toward mid-latitudes, which can cause severe cold waves.

And God knows best.