Matt Andrews(Metdesk)

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/17/weather-tracker-world-braces-for-sudden-stratospheric-warming-event

SSW phenomenon is linked to polar vortex, an area of low pressure across the North Pole

Fri 17 Feb 2023 04.38 EST

There has been keen interest over recent weeks in the much-anticipated sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event, which only began this week but is now well under way. The SSW phenomenon is linked to the polar vortex, an area of low pressure across the North Pole that forms within the stratosphere during autumn, as temperatures plummet in the absence of solar radiation.

SSW events are very common and occur two in every three winters. It remains unclear how climate change will affect these events in the future. As the vortex develops during autumn and into winter, westerly stratospheric winds increase in strength. But in the event of a SSW episode, stratospheric…