Up in the Arctic, the polar vortex has split in record time. Combined with this year’s “super” El Niño, it looks like Canada’s in for a pretty unpredictable winter.
It’s going to be a battle for the ages, with the polar vortex’s cold winds versus El Niño’s heating temperatures— and no one knows who’s going to win.
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A Record-Breaking Split
The polar vortex— a large belt of strong winds that sit high in the atmosphere— plays a big role in forming the Northern Hemisphere’s weather patterns. It contains the Arctic’s cold air and holds it there until the winds reverse, letting the chill spill southward.
Normally around this time, the polar vortex should be strengthening and building up the frigid air that will come later in the winter season. But it suddenly split on November 10, marking this polar vortex’s complete reversal as the earliest ever recorded.
According to the Weather Network, “when such a major disruption occurs, its influence can work downward through the layers of the atmosphere, shifting the jet stream, enhancing blocking patterns, and allowing Arctic air to surge farther south.”
What Will Canada’s Winter Look Like?
Right now, it’s uncertain.
The Weather Network reports that the changes to the polar vortex may create a “ripple effect around the Northern Hemisphere, unfolding for weeks after a major warming.” And currently, El Niño still has a strong hold on the weather.
But overall, forecasters are expecting an unusually warm winter. From now to December, practically the entire country is expected to experience above normal temperatures through the fall and beginning of winter.
