What is the Polar Vortex and How Will It Impact Freezing Temperatures Across the Atlantic?

If you were planning to go to the United States or are there at the moment, you will need to bring very warm clothing and be prepared for extreme temperatures depending on where you plan to go in the country. Indeed, the National Weather Service (NWS), the American meteorological agency, announced that a polar vortex would soon hit Uncle Sam's country head-on.

Polar vortex, kesako?

This science fiction-sounding name is in fact a well-known and particularly well-documented phenomenon in meteorology. And if we know it very well, it’s because it is not rare at all.

Indeed, the polar vortex “is a term used to describe a depression that forms each winter above the north and south poles at approximately 30 km altitude. This cold pocket settles from the middle troposphere (8 to 12 km altitude) to the stratosphere (10 to 50 km)” can we read on La Chaîne Météo.

This polar vortex, whether in the north or in the south, is also accompanied by strong winds going from west to east which lead to the formation of a very powerful jet stream. Thus, this depression should, in theory, be concentrated only at the poles. However, practice shows the opposite, since the polar vortex is not a stable phenomenon.

It therefore happens that the cold air contained at the north pole takes a direction a little further south, thus causing significant cold waves. In this specific case, this can happen in North America, Russia and the rest of Europe.

Freezing temperatures expected in the United States

The instability of the polar vortex has therefore been studied closely by the NWS and the United States will undoubtedly be prey to a particularly harsh start to winter, mainly on the east coast of the country during the month of January 2025.

Thus, temperatures below 0 could be observed in Florida and Texas where it could be as low as -8°C. Further north, Minnesota could be hit by freezing cold, bringing the mercury down to -25°C. But that's not all.

Indeed, snowfall as well as very cold winds could cross the country which could result in the pause of certain activities in the country.

A final memorable episode

The last time an unstable polar vortex hit the United States was in 2022. And the consequences of the latter were particularly dramatic.

Indeed, in addition to the deaths directly linked to the impact of the Arctic storm on the country, nearly 1.5 million homes saw their power cut off in the United States and Canada during the Christmas period. . The NWS even announced that temperatures reaching -45°C were a possibility.

Source: BBC / The Weather Channel