Stratospheric polar vortex changes still trigger brutal U.S. winter cold snaps and extreme weather despite a warming climate.

The mechanism involves atmospheric waves that bounce between the upper atmosphere and ground level, amplifying weather patterns and making them more extreme. Scientists call this “stratospheric wave ...

Despite a warming climate, bone-chilling winter cold can grip parts of the U.S. In a study appearing in Science Advances, ...

The condition of the polar vortex influences everyday weather around the globe. Scientist issue warning about concerning ...

Three factors are combining to increase the likelihood of a weaker polar vortex this winter, the website reports. And a ...

Meteorologists also project a few rainy days ahead, which should aid in relieving areas of New England experiencing weak to moderate drought conditions.

The polar vortex is area of fast-moving winds well above the Earth’s surface and the jet stream that circle the Arctic during the Northern Hemisphere’s coldest months.

These polar vortex stretches are happening more frequently as the world — and especially the Arctic — warms, a 2021 paper published in the journal Science, also co-authored by Cohen, demonstrated.

Winter, which is warming faster than any other season for much of the US, seems to be making a comeback for the first time in years; this January was the coldest in the Lower 48 since 1988.