In the next image below, we have the polar vortex at a much lower altitude, around 5km/3miles. It has a much harder time containing the cold air, which can now escape out of the polar regions, into the United States and/or Europe. This usually locks the cold air into the Polar regions, creating a milder winter for most of the United States and Europe.Īs a contrast, a weak (wavy) Polar Vortex can bring very dynamic weather. It has a very nice circular shape, with the temperature dropping quickly towards its inner core.Ī strong Polar Vortex usually means strong polar circulation. The image below shows a typical example of the upper Polar Vortex at around 30km/18.5miles altitude in the middle stratosphere during winter.
![pictures of snow and freezing weather up north pictures of snow and freezing weather up north](https://www.northernontario.travel/sites/default/files/styles/cover_proportional/public/leads/bdece6b7ff7be84908240494aa881aee_XL.jpg)
You can see the layers of the atmosphere on the image below, with the troposphere and the weather on the bottom and the stratosphere with the ozone layer above it. The Ozone layer resides in the stratosphere. This layer is around 30 km/18.5mi deep and is very dry. It reaches up to around 8 km (5 miles) altitude over the polar regions and up to around 15 km (9-10 miles) over the equator.Ībove it, we have a much deeper layer called the stratosphere. Our weather is found in the lowest layer of the atmosphere called the troposphere. The stratospheric polar vortex plays an important role in weather development, while the lower tropospheric polar vortex actually circulates the weather that we experience.īut what is this stratosphere? Well, the atmosphere has different layers. One is the lower (tropospheric) part and the second is the upper (stratospheric) part. The Polar Vortex is so large that we have to divide it into two altitude parts. It has a strong presence at all levels, from the ground up into the middle atmosphere, having different shapes at different altitudes. The Polar Vortex can be simply explained as a very large cyclonic circulation, covering the whole north pole, down to the mid-latitudes. Such powerful yet simple knowledge really helps to understand the bigger picture of how the weather works in the large picture. We try to explain this in most of our winter articles, as this is an important part of every winter season.
![pictures of snow and freezing weather up north pictures of snow and freezing weather up north](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/bismarcktribune.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/f5/7f5240c3-ef62-5755-9f20-87b8da6bfcf9/5a25d89dbd0e2.image.jpg)
In the next days, the Polar Vortex will behave a bit unusual, as it will kick into overdrive, reaching near record-high power values for this time of year.įirst, we will quickly and simply learn what the Polar Vortex really is and how is it so influential. It is strongly connected all the way from the ground up into the higher levels of the atmosphere.įor this reason, we always take great notice of the activity high above in the stratosphere and monitor it all the time.
![pictures of snow and freezing weather up north pictures of snow and freezing weather up north](https://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/700x/cdn.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/4307425521_82036bc2e6_b-700x467.jpg)
The Polar Vortex is a powerful short-to-medium term weather component during the cold season. This is not without consequences, as it will strengthen the polar circulation into late winter and will be ready to continue into early Spring, influencing the weather in the United States and Europe. The Polar Vortex is starting to power up unusually in the late Winter Season, reaching record cold levels in the lower stratosphere.