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FREEZING COLD OVER EUROPEDUE TO THE POLAR VORTEX | |
 Icy cold is about to engulf Europe under the influence of the polar vortex, a swirling mass of cold air generally confined to the poles, thus extending its hold on France. From this Monday, January 8, Météo France forecasts negative maximum temperatures in the north and significant snowfall in the mountains, announcing an amplification of this phenomenon over the coming days, plunging temperatures into freezing depths.To understand this meteorological change, it is appropriate to look at the "polar vortex", a term little used in everyday language, mainly reserved for meteorologists' jargon, designating a swirling mass of cold air, traditionally confined to the poles. This renowned vortex is set to move towards unusual latitudes over the coming days, causing temperatures to drop dramatically by around -10°C across France. This exceptional cold snap could mark the most frigidly intense day since 2018, affecting cities such as Paris, Nantes and Lille. Between Saturday and Sunday, temperatures have already declined by 2 to 4°C across the country. Paris notably recorded a loss of 4 degrees in 24 hours, prompting the Île-de-France prefecture to trigger the Great Cold Plan. This phenomenon will not only spare the north of the country. According to Météo France, this movement of polar cold towards France is a rare but natural phenomenon. The polar vortex, a depression of cold air located about 30 kilometers above the poles, is traditionally maintained by very fast circular winds, the "stratospheric jets of the polar night". These powerful winds strengthen the jet stream when they move from west to east, and weaken it when they go in the opposite direction. By disrupting the jet stream, they propel cold air from the polar vortex towards unusual regions. The current, disturbed, oscillates towards mid-latitudes, trapping cold air in the troposphere, the atmospheric layer located between 8 and 12 kilometers above sea level. It is precisely this phenomenon that will take place in the coming days in Europe, leading to a gradual and rapid decrease in temperatures. Météo-France is forecasting a cold peak this Tuesday with temperatures felt around -10 degrees. The maximums will hardly exceed 10 degrees in Corsica, and will only reach 2 degrees for cities like Bordeaux or Tarbes. |
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| Boby Dean for DayNewsWorld | |
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