The Arctic witnessed a meteorological phenomenon this month when a sudden stratospheric warming event compelled the polar vortex to deviate from its usual path, inverting its rotation.
Instead of its characteristic counterclockwise motion, the polar vortex is spinning in an opposite direction, leading to a historic increase in ozone levels over the North Pole and posing potential implications for global weather conditions.
Typically encasing the Arctic in a frigid whirl of air, the polar vortex operates most vigorously in the winter and reaches up into the stratosphere 30 miles above Earth. These currents can rush at speeds akin to those of a Category 5 hurricane, around 155 mph, Live Science reported.
During an SSW, temperatures in the stratosphere can soar by 90 degrees Fahrenheit, an event caused by atmospheric planetary waves. These waves occur when air ascends into an area of contrasting density and is propelled down again due to the rotational force of the Earth — disrupting or even flipping the vortex’s flow.
Since March 4, the latest reversal of the Arctic vortex is displaying signs of slowing winds, suggesting a return to its regular pattern may be imminent, according to Spaceweather.com.
Amy Butler, a climatologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and contributor to NOAA’s polar vortex blog, described the phenomenon to Spaceweather.com as “a substantial reversal,” ranking it among the most intense occurrences on record.
Although disturbances in the polar vortex can jar U.S. weather, such as the cold wave that gripped the Midwest in 2019, Spaceweather.com said they won’t do so this time since they haven’t reshaped the jet stream, the current that typically girds the polar vortex.
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