Britain braced for temperatures to plummet with weakened polar vortex set to bring snow

 A weakening of the polar vortex could see temperatures plummet in Britain over the coming weeks, potentially bringing snow and frost far earlier than is usually expected at this time of year.

The high winds above the Arctic typically circle the North Pole and trap some of the coldest air on Earth, but they have weakened in recent days. Strong winds trap the coldest air close to the pole, though its weakening means chilly conditions can slip further south.

While the disruptions can be observed during the winter months, it is rare for it to happen early in November. Its weakening this early in the season could result in current forecasts being thrown into disarray amid greater uncertainty about the impact it could have on the UK.

The weakening of the polar vortex can, in turn, alter the path of the jet stream, which usually protects Europe from much colder conditions that should be expected due to its northerly position on the globe. It could also increase the possibility of snow, particularly in eastern Britain.

Sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) typically happens from the mid-winter, but the sudden weakening shows there could be a reversal of the polar winds as early as mid-November. Already, the weakening has disrupted the strong polar vortex, creating two circulations and pushing colder air further south. In 2018, a breakdown of the polar vortex caused by SSW created chaos as it brought the 'Beast from the East' to the UK, disrupting transport and closing schools.

The earliest SSW event was recorded on November 28, 1969, and in 2025. "It would appear to be the earliest on record looking back over the 75 years we've been observing…with most experts agreeing this is a very unusual event," lead climate scientist from the Met Office, Jeff Knight, told the BBC.

The conditions are not unusual toward the end of winter in so-called normal El Niño years, as warmer air in the Pacific can lead to weather patterns being disrupted around the globe. But the current record El Niño has sparked unusual weather events much earlier in the year than normal.

British Weather Services senior meteorologist Jim Dale told The Mirror the impacts from a super El Niño are "unprecedented" and fuels changes to conditions in the Arctic. He said: "Therefore, the knock-on effects to the polar vortex, we're in unknown territory."

But he cautioned against branding the polar vortex shifts as unprecedented and noted Scandinavia would be more likely to feel the brunt of its impact. He said: "It looks like from about the 20th [of November] that that certainly Norway, Sweden will be getting a little bit of a a taste of it. Whether it falls further south is a really open question.

"But if it did, and the charts are not showing that at this moment in time, then I would expect that it will be brief, it'll be slightly unusual, but it's not unprecedented. We've seen snow in November before. We've had a massive lack of anything very cold in autumn so far.

"If anything happens at all, it will probably be very short and sharp. The east coast area and the north of Scotland would be the likely recipients."

Mr Dale added: "There's a long way to go in the winter time, and this we're not even there yet," he said. "So anything that is going to happen is probably going to be short-lived."

The Met Office said the UK be plunged into chilly conditions toward the end of the month. The Met Office said in its long-range forecast for between November 20 and December 4: "Towards the end of November, whilst confidence is very low in the overall weather patterns, there may be a tendency for the tracks of Atlantic lows to shift farther south.

"Temperatures are likely to be near or above average for much of the period, although colder interludes remain possible, perhaps more especially later in the period."