Scientists Warn of an 'Imminent' Stratospheric Warming Event Around The North Pole 6 JANUARY 2021 Every winter in the Northern Hemisphere, a cold wind circles the North Pole like water around a drain. It's an annual weather pattern meteorologists keep an anxious eye on – any significant changes could suggest Europe is in for a serious cold snap. Right now, that wind is ripping in two.
Researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Exeter, and Bath have come up with a new way to predict the knock-on effects of various changes to this major air current high up in the stratosphere, 10 to 50 kilometres (6 to 30 miles) overhead.