The polar vortex is a low-pressure system of cold air that swirls above both of Earth’s poles. Over the North Pole, the wind flows counterclockwise in the stratosphere around 16 to 50 kilometers ...

Polar Vortex forecast from March 6 to March 20, 2025. (source: Judah Cohen, AER) Judah Cohen The stratosphere actually warms an incredible amount in a short time during these SSW’s.

A polar vortex collapse. Now, meteorologists are calling for another collapse in the middle of March, one that could plunge the U.S., Canada, and parts of Europe into a bitterly cold spell just ...

Think of the polar vortex as a huge cylinder of low pressure and cold air that hovers over the North Pole and high into the atmosphere during the winter. When the polar vortex is strong, the cold ...

When high pressure builds into the Arctic Circle, the polar vortex is pushed south and away from the pole, giving it an opportunity to sink into the United States.

A polar vortex collapse occurs when the layer between 10 and 50km above Earth’s surface warms up to 50 degrees in just two days - known as sudden stratospheric warming (SSW).

However, a disruption in the vortex – known as "sudden stratospheric warming" – back in mid-March will finally be making its way down to the surface in the eastern U.S. next week, Cohen said.