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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Nicole Wootton-Cane

What is polar vortex – and will El Niño peak affect the UK this autumn?

  • Freezing temperatures and unsettled conditions could hit the UK as El Niño continues to affect global weather.
  • According to experts, a wet and stormy autumn could turn into an icy winter. It comes after the “super El Niño” broke benchmarks to become the strongest event in history.
  • While a peak in El Niño can weaken the stratospheric polar vortex, experts have said it’s too soon to tell if this will send freezing arctic air further south this autumn and winter.
  • Forecasters have warned that the phenomenon could disrupt a large, high-altitude ring of swirling cold winds above the Arctic, which is known as the stratospheric polar vortex .
  • This can weaken the jet stream, leading to freezing Arctic air plunging into North America and Europe, although this is more likely to trigger freezing temperatures later on in winter, if this does happen.

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