Polar Vortex Gets A Facelift, Japan to Pump (Again!)

The Northern Winter can expect big changes over the coming weeks as the driver of cold air circulation jams on the brakes.

Niseko caught the sun between the snowstorms last week.

Here comes a winter reset.

The polar vortex is jamming on the brakes and it’s a significant shift in how it’s been dishing out the cold air, lately.

The dynamics of the Northern Stratospheric Polar Vortex (SPV/PV) can be influenced by two main components: the atmospheric wave patterns that circulate through the mid-latitudes and the topography of the Northern Hemisphere. Over the coming weeks, we see both have a cause/effect.

This winter season has delivered an abnormally large and cold polar vortex, making it susceptible to potentially big swings and changes.

Cue the big swing.

NOAA’s plot of the Northern Polar Vortex Area has been hitting the 90th percentile since the end of December. This rapid expansion and growth has lead to record-breaking cold air over eastern North America Source: NOAA.