A sudden stratospheric warming event reversed the winds that make up the northern polar vortex on March 9, 2025.
A new animation shows the vortex also moved away from the Arctic towards Northern Europe.
Counter-clockwise rotation of moisture and winds, an “Atmospheric River” from the south moving directly North over California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Click the image to view the latest satellite image sequence from the SSEC GOES-WEST page. It’s been like this nearly TWO MONTHS as of December 24, 2025.
“In early March 2025, a sudden stratospheric warming event caused a major disruption to the polar vortex, causing it to shift away from the North Pole towards Europe. This shift resulted in a reversal of the winds that make up the vortex, and the winds made several unsuccessful attempts to resume their westerly direction. The disruption is expected to continue for at least two weeks, with smaller lobes of the vortex potentially splitting off”.