{"id":259811,"date":"2025-07-12T20:18:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-12T20:18:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/259811\/"},"modified":"2025-07-12T20:18:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T20:18:09","slug":"polar-vortex-patterns-explain-shifting-us-winter-cold-despite-warming-climate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/259811\/","title":{"rendered":"Polar vortex patterns explain shifting US winter cold despite warming climate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"winter\"<\/p>\n

Credit: Simon Berger from Pexels<\/p>\n

Despite a warming climate, bone-chilling winter cold can grip parts of the U.S. In a study<\/a> appearing in Science Advances, researchers found that two specific patterns in the polar vortex, a swirling mass of cold air high in the stratosphere, steer extreme cold to different regions of the country. One pattern drives Arctic air into the Northwest U.S., the other into the Central and Eastern areas.<\/p>\n

Since 2015, the Northwest has experienced more of these cold outbreaks, thanks to a shift in stratospheric behavior tied to broader climate cycles. In short: what happens high above the Arctic can shape the winter on your doorstep.<\/p>\n

As winters in the United States continue to warm on average, extreme cold snaps still manage to grip large swaths of the country with surprising ferocity. A new study offers a powerful clue: the answer may lie more than 10 miles above our heads\u2014in the shifting patterns of the stratosphere.<\/p>\n

The international team includes Prof. Chaim Garfinkel (Hebrew University), Dr. Laurie Agel and Prof. Mathew Barlow (University of Massachusetts), Prof. Judah Cohen (MIT and Atmospheric and Environmental Research AER), Karl Pfeiffer (Atmospheric and Environmental Research Hampton), Prof. Jennifer Francis (Woodwell Climate Research Center), Prof. Marlene Kretchmer (University of Leipzig).<\/p>\n

The study reveals how two specific patterns in the stratospheric polar vortex<\/a>\u2014a high-altitude ribbon of cold air circling the Arctic\u2014can trigger bone-chilling weather events across different parts of the U.S.<\/p>\n

“The public often hears about the ‘polar vortex’ when winter turns severe, but we wanted to dig deeper and understand how variations within this vortex affect where and when extreme cold<\/a> hits,” said the researchers.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTwo vortex patterns, two U.S. outcomes<\/p>\n

The team identified two distinct variations of the polar vortex, both linked to what scientists call a “stretched” vortex\u2014a distorted and displaced circulation pattern that leads to unusual weather on the ground.<\/p>\n