(Simon Berger/Unsplash)ENVIRONMENT

https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-warn-imminent-stratospheric-warming-about-to-blast-the-uk-with-cold

MIKE MCRAE6 JANUARY 2021

Every winter in the Northern Hemisphere, a cold wind circles the North Pole like water around a drain. It’s an annual weather pattern meteorologists keep an anxious eye on – any significant changes could suggest Europe is in for a serious cold snap.Right now, that wind is ripping in two.https://cb24d9547dd945f51d9a064cfa0148ca.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html

Researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Exeter, and Bath have come up with a new way to predict the knock-on effects of various changes to this major air current high up in thestratosphere, 10 to 50 kilometres (6 to 30 miles) overhead.

Ironically, the cause of this chill is a sudden burst of heat seeping into the whirling currents over a window of just 24 to 48 hours.

With its temperature surging by as much as 40 degrees Celsius, the vortex undergoes some rapid changes, changing course or dramatically…