Polar Vortex

weather · atmosphere · polar regions · extreme cold

Swirling cold air. A polar vortex is a huge region of rotating, frigid air that spins around each of Earth's poles like a cosmic whirlwind. It rotates in the same direction as Earth spins.

Two different vortices. There's a stratospheric polar vortex high up in the atmosphere and a tropospheric one lower down near the ground. Even though they're both at the poles, they work differently and affect weather in their own ways.

Extreme winter blast. When the polar vortex dips southward (in the Northern Hemisphere), it can send brutally cold Arctic air into places that rarely see such freezing temperatures. This is what causes those shocking deep-freeze events.

Seasonal shifts. The polar vortices grow stronger and larger during winter and weaken during summer, following nature's seasonal rhythm. This cycle happens every year at both poles.

Found on other planets. Polar vortices aren't unique to Earth, they exist on other planets and moons that spin and have atmosphere, making them a common feature of planetary science.