Polar Vortex collapse to bring severe winter weather with snowfall to Canada, US; What is it? How does it happen?

A polar vortex collapse is predicted to bring severe winter-like weather to parts of Canada and the US around the middle of this month. This same weather event affected several regions across North America last month, causing freezing temperatures and widespread travel disruptions.

According to reports, the upcoming polar vortex collapse could also impact the UK and other areas in Europe.

What is Polar Vortex Collapse?

A polar vortex collapse occurs when the polar vortex, which is typically a stable, cold air mass circulating around the Arctic region, weakens or breaks apart, causing significant disruptions in weather patterns.

Normally, the polar vortex is a well-contained system of cold air over the polar regions, but when it collapses, this cold air can escape and spread to lower latitudes. A polar vortex is an upper-level jet stream that typically circulates around both the North and South Poles but can push cold winds down into the US and Canada when it weakens and expands.

Also Read: Polar Vortex collapse: US, Canada and UK brace for extreme freezing temperatures

AccuWeather’s Lead Meteorologist, Paul Pastelok, was quoted by The Independent saying, “When the Polar Vortex is disrupted—whether stretched, displaced, or split—it can, though not always, affect the polar jet stream. The timing for North America is uncertain, but we may see a change in the pattern from late March into early April.”

How does Polar Vortex collapse happen?

A polar vortex collapses when the usual stable, cold air mass circling around the Arctic becomes disturbed or weakened, causing it to break apart or shift. This disruption can lead to an influx of cold Arctic air into lower latitudes.

The most common cause of a polar vortex collapse is Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW). This occurs when temperatures in the stratosphere (the layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere) rise rapidly, often by several tens of degrees Celsius in just a few days.

Also Read: Cold, bitter cold, as polar vortex freeze grips North America

While the collapse of the polar vortex is a natural event that has occurred for centuries, changes in climate patterns—such as global warming—may influence the frequency or severity of such collapses. Warmer temperatures in the Arctic (a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification) may make the polar vortex more vulnerable to disruption.

Impact of Polar Vortex Collapse

When the polar vortex collapses or shifts, the cold air that typically stays around the Arctic region can spill southward, causing extreme cold weather, snowstorms, and other disruptive weather events in areas like North America, Europe, and parts of Asia. These disruptions can last from a few days to several weeks, depending on how severe the collapse is.

In summary, a polar vortex collapse typically results from rapid stratospheric warming that weakens the vortex and causes cold Arctic air to move southward, affecting weather patterns far from the polar regions.

How does the Polar vortex weakens?

The polar vortex naturally weakens and eventually disappears each spring in a process known as “final warming,” but it’s uncertain if the weakening expected in March will be the last one until the vortex reforms in late summer, Bloomberg reported citing Andrew Pedrini, a meteorologist with Atmospheric G2.

Also Read: Extreme Cold Alert: What is a Polar vortex, and why is it dangerous? Will it affect India?

Meteorologists at MetDesk suggest that this weather pattern will likely lead to increased heating demand in late March, while also reducing wind power generation, the report said.

Wind speeds in Britain, Germany, and Spain are expected to briefly increase early in the month before dropping off.

(With inputs from agencies)