What is a polar vortex – and will one affect the UK this autumn?

Environment
28 Sep 2026 • 3:16 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

What is a polar vortex – and will one affect the UK this autumn?

  • Freezing temperatures and unsettled conditions could hit the UK as El Niño continues to affect global weather.
  • According to experts, a wet and stormy autumn could turn into an icy winter. It comes after the “super El Niño” broke benchmarks to become the strongest event in history.
  • Forecasters said the unsettled conditions brought by El Niño could start this week, with “increasing signals” of rainy and gusty conditions on Monday and Tuesday.
  • Forecasters have warned that the phenomenon could disrupt a large, high-altitude ring of swirling cold winds above the Arctic, which is known as the stratospheric polar vortex.
  • This can weaken the jet stream, leading to freezing Arctic air plunging into North America and Europe, although this is more likely to trigger freezing temperatures later on in winter, if this does happen.

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