Stratospheric polar vortex changes still trigger brutal U.S. winter cold snaps and extreme weather despite a warming climate.

In the stratosphere over Siberia, temperatures recently jumped nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit, shoving the polar vortex off its North Pole perch.

A sudden stratospheric warming event reversed the winds that make up the northern polar vortex on March 9. A new animation shows the vortex also moved away from the Arctic towards Europe.

There is a sudden warming about to happen high up in the atmosphere. This warming usually affects the Polar Vortex.

What is a polar vortex collapse and why does it affect weather so dramatically?

A complex combination of factors, including an erratic polar vortex, kept Alaska warmer and drier and sent temperatures plunging in more tropical states.

How Alaska’s cold keeps ending up in the Lower 48 A few atmospheric factors — including the polar vortex — have come together to make the US the epicenter of cold this winter.

Polar vortex is not a synonym for “cold snap,” according to the Polar Vortex Blog at Climate.gov, and it’s not the only weather pattern to blame for blasts of cold air.

Like the Arctic Blast, also known as the Polar Vortex or the damn-it’s-cold-in-Dallas weather front that is swooping into the U.S. in increasing frequency from Russia and Canada.

It’s time to break out the T-shirts and shorts once again — at least for the next week. In stark contrast to recent frigid weather dominated by a displaced polar vortex, February will start on ...

Warmer in Alaska than … The average temperature in Anchorage this month has been 29.3 degrees, which is about 13 degrees above average.

There’s also a polar vortex at the South Pole. When the polar vortex is strong, the frigid cold air mass will often stay confined near the North Pole as the jet stream increases in strength.