Sudden stratospheric warming

The current cold snap in Britain is soon set to come to an end, with the frost, freezing fog and sub-zero temperatures of recent days giving way to milder ...

[According to the Met Office](https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/wind/sudden-stratospheric-warming), any weakening of those westerly winds, known collectively as the Polar Night Jet, over the North Pole occurs when natural weather patterns or disturbances lower in the atmosphere disrupt their flow and cause the jet to “break just like waves on the beach”. Just not getting the amplitude of planetary wave breaking that you typically see before a complete reversal of the polar vortex winds. [excitable early forecasts](https://www.gbnews.uk/weather/uk-weather-warning-spring-could-be-delayed-sudden-stratospheric-warming-event-set-to-bring-heavy-snow-to-britain-throughout-february/427254), there is currently some doubt as to whether the Arctic will actually experience SSW in February. The forecaster continues: “As the cold air from high up in the stratosphere disperses, it can affect the shape of the jet stream as the cold air sinks from the stratosphere into the troposphere. [polar vortex](/topic/polar-vortex) and this causes the temperature in the stratosphere to rise very rapidly, as much as 50C over only a few days”. [Beast from the East](/topic/beast-from-the-east)” bringing heavy [snow](/topic/snow) or even [blizzards](/topic/blizzards) to the British Isles in February, recalling the bitter winter storm that slammed the UK in early March 2018 and caused 17 fatalities.