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varmau t1_ja1gmtj wrote

There was an extremely cold polar vortex this year. When the polar vortex is stable, it stays at the north pole and sucks warm air from the oceans toward the north pole. Hence the warm weather.

When the vortex destabilizes, the extremely cold air leaves the north pole and floods into lower latitudes.

Currently we are experiencing a lull in global warming with temperatures essentially plateauing over the last several years (at the highs). There’s a good chance that 2023 continues that plateauing trend, so the strange winter doesn’t necessarily mean 2023 will set a record for global warmth.

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Messy-Recipe t1_ja1kkz6 wrote

My worry is, doesn't the cold air leaving the pole mean more melting? I'm glad we've had some frigid weather as a result but I fear it may be hastening the final end of cooler days

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varmau t1_ja1qh0c wrote

There’s no melting going on in the arctic during winter, regardless of whether the polar vortex spills to lower latitudes. When that happens, it’s entirely possible that Minnesota is colder than the arctic but it’s still plenty cold in the arctic. The melting happens in summer.

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