The Old Farmer's Almanac is calling for a mostly mild winter across much of the United States, but a strengthening El Niño and an unpredictable polar vortex could still deliver nasty surprises. The almanac released its full winter weather forecast ahead of its print edition hitting shelves September 1, predicting near-normal temperatures and largely unremarkable […] The post Old Farmer's Almanac predicts a mild 2026–2027 winter as El Niño looms appeared first on American Almanac .
The Old Farmer's Almanac is calling for a mostly mild winter across much of the United States, but a strengthening El Niño and an unpredictable polar vortex could still deliver nasty surprises. The almanac released its full winter weather forecast ahead of its print edition hitting shelves September 1, predicting near-normal temperatures and largely unremarkable conditions for most of the country. The outlook, USA TODAY reported , calls for a wetter-than-normal season across much of the West, parts of the South, the Midwest, and Florida, with drier conditions expected in parts of the East, the Plains, and the Desert Southwest. That forecast comes after a brutal prior winter. A massive January storm battered more than 30 states and…Open
NOAA forecasts a "very strong" El Niño developing in the equatorial Pacific, possibly among the strongest in the modern record, yet the scientists tracking it concede the climate pattern's interaction with the polar vortex remains an open question with no reliable answer. The federal agency's characterization lands at a moment when Americans from the mid-Atlantic […] The post A potentially historic El Niño could collide with the polar vortex this winter — and scientists admit they don't fully understand what happens next appeared first on American Almanac .
NOAA forecasts a "very strong" El Niño developing in the equatorial Pacific, possibly among the strongest in the modern record, yet the scientists tracking it concede the climate pattern's interaction with the polar vortex remains an open question with no reliable answer. The federal agency's characterization lands at a moment when Americans from the mid-Atlantic to the Pacific Northwest are trying to plan for a winter season that could swing between unusual mildness and punishing cold, depending on atmospheric forces that even top researchers describe in terms of probability, not certainty. Four scientists from NOAA, MIT, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Miami each offered USA TODAY variations on the same theme: we know a strong El…Open
AI:NOAA is forecasting a potentially historic and "very strong" El Niño developing in the equatorial Pacific, yet top scientists from NOAA, MIT, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Miami admit they cannot predict exactly how this phenomenon will interact with the polar vortex. While a strong El Niño typically shifts jet stream patterns, there is significant scientific uncertainty regarding whether it will trigger sudden stratospheric warming events that push Arctic air deep into the eastern United States or result in an overall milder winter. This lack of predictability poses real-world challenges for American families facing rising heating costs, farmers hedging crops, and municipalities planning winter infrastructure, especially as this…Open
Image: Antarctica’s Deep Freeze; New Zealand Freeze Smashes All-Time Records; Southern Africa Faces Another Blast; + The Arctic’s Year Without A Summer Related: SURFRAD data and surface heat transport In the article (SURFRAD data etc.) [...]
While iguanas were stunned by freezing cold in Florida, would-be skiers were looking at dirt on Utah’s slopes. Here’s what’s going on, and when it will finally end.
A warming Arctic can stretch the polar vortex, a high-altitude air ribbon, one says. The “wobble” can disrupt the jet stream, causing extreme cold in the East.
A warming Arctic can stretch the polar vortex, a high-altitude air ribbon, one says. The “wobble” can disrupt the jet stream, causing extreme cold in the East.
While a cold spell is not unprecedented, the behavior of the Polar Vortex has followed a different pattern so far
AI:A massive Polar Vortex is driving an unprecedented arctic deep freeze across the eastern United States, threatening millions of people as temperatures plummet through February. This extreme weather event follows a series of historic winter storms and blizzard conditions that have already crippled the Carolinas and parts of the Southeast. Unlike previous seasonal cold snaps, this particular atmospheric shift is exhibiting highly irregular patterns, intensifying the ongoing crisis for power grids and transportation networks across the eastern regions.Open