In North America, the weakening of the polar jet stream can allow the vortex to bring extremely cold temperatures, heavy snowfall and strong winds. But it’s not just about the snow and cold.

How does it affect our weather? A strong polar vortex is typically associated with a strong and stable jet stream. When the polar vortex is strong, the jet stream tends to flow more powerfully and ...

Earlier this year, in January, a polar vortex sank over Western Canada and plunged the region into near-record-breaking temperatures. Edmonton, Alta., saw temperatures go as far down as -46°C and ...

Both polar vortexes are present year-round, but they weaken in the summer and strengthen in the winter, governed by rising and falling seasonal temperatures. South of the Arctic’s polar vortex is the ...

But thanks to waves generated in the upper atmosphere, El Niño can also disrupt the polar vortex. That, in turn, can cause the jet stream to become more wavy, pushing Arctic air further south.

This pattern will also give the South Coast of B.C. a break from their recent stormy pattern as storms off the Pacific will track well north of the region. Much of Atlantic Canada will also see a ...

An Arctic air mass known as a 'polar vortex' has descended over much of Canada and the eastern and mid-west U.S., causing temperatures to plunge, nearing -50 C with the wind chill in some regions.

Meanwhile, a much warmer pattern is expected to dominate across the eastern U.S.—and at times this warmer weather will surge north across the border into southern Ontario, southern Quebec, and even ...