It is expected that the polar vortex, called “The Beast of the East“, will come down the mercury considerably throughout USA and Europe this winter.

These icy vortices seem to be a consequence of global warming: winters will be colder and extreme temperatures are accentuated. In any case, this is what a study published recently in the prestigious science journal “Nature”, by a group of American and Canadian scientists led by the Judah Cohen researcher.

Is it the coldest winter of the last 30 years?

On the other hand, it is our Mirror colleagues who announce the bad news: a polar vortex could cause one of the coldest winters of the last 30 years.

Nicknamed “The Beast of the East,” it will blow for weeks in Britain with freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall is expected in the coming months.

A group of British meteorologists predict a very cold winter and heavy snowfall. Researchers expect the Arctic vortex to hit Europe in January and February 2020.

“IT WILL BE THE COLDEST WINTER SINCE 2013 AND THE SEVENTH IN THE LAST 30 YEARS,” MARK SAUNDERS DIRECTOR OF THE INVESTIGATION SAID.

Last year, “The Beast of the East” caused temperatures that reached -14ºC and snowfalls that accumulated more than 50 centimeters of snow in different areas of the United Kingdom. When the Arctic is warm, winters in the northern hemisphere are chaotic and increasingly unpredictable. Beyond scientific studies, the truth is that the repetition of extreme temperatures in different recent episodes, show evidence that something is happening.

The images of snow-covered Chicago overwhelmed everyone. The Midwest of the United States was freezing, down from -30 degrees and depressions, wind and cold were the protagonists for several weeks.

The atmospheric circulations are modified: the polar vortex

Of course, the study only demonstrates a correlation between Arctic temperatures and the nature of winters in the northern hemisphere, the cause-effect relationship is not scientifically explained. However, according to the researchers behind the study, current data suggests that it is the “polar vortex” that could be at the root of this correlation.

This term that is becoming fashionable, as well as explosive cyclogenesis, makes the hair stand on end and is not for less. The nomenclature chosen by meteorologists sometimes generates alarmism in society if the specific weather phenomenon is not understood.

The polar vortex is a low pressure system that revolves around the polar region. Normally, classical atmospheric circulations concentrate this vortex around the pole, but some scientists say that with rising temperatures, these circulations are changing.

The main consequence will be the attraction of the vortex around the pole, moving its course to the south, that is, its trajectory would be modified and the jet stream and the cold, would have a direct influence on northern Europe in general and North America in particular.

The incidence of the vortex is not new, 5 years ago Dr. John Holdren explained in a 2 minute video, the keys of the polar vortex and its consequences on the climate.

Vídeo: USECR – Dr. John Holdren, asesor del Presidente Obama en ciencia y tecnología (2014)