The polar vortex is a cold stratospheric whirl that can buckle and spill Arctic air
In winter a strong westerly whirl of stratospheric winds — the polar vortex — normally corrals frigid air over the Arctic; when it weakens or splits, lobes of cold can plunge into mid-latitudes.
Sudden stratospheric warmings can disrupt the vortex, linking weeks later to stubborn cold outbreaks at the surface. Media shorthand often confuses the vortex itself with every cold snap.
High-altitude spin steers your forecast. Understanding the real polar vortex separates viral weather memes from the slow atmospheric chain that can lock ice into a city.
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