What is a sudden stratospheric warming event and how can it impact Florida?

ORLANDO, Fla. – Polar vortex. Sudden stratospheric warming.

The winter buzz words are back. But what do they mean?

Here’s the deal. You may hear polar vortex and sudden stratospheric warming thrown around a bunch during the cool months. They are scientific and meteorological things, however, they are often talked about incorrectly and used to hype things up.

So what are they?

A sudden stratospheric warming event is just that; a sudden warming of the stratosphere miles above our heads. Sudden stratospheric warming event depicted (white and red) occurs when the abrupt and significant warming occur stratosphere. Significant ones occur roughly every 1-3 years.

This event disrupts the stratospheric polar vortex, weakening it significantly. As a result, cold, polar air at the surface can