Could the earliest weakening of the polar vortex on record bring UK snow?

If the winds continue to weaken and end up reversing as forecast, this will be known as a major SSW event.

Jeff Knight, lead climate scientist from the Met Office, told the BBC: "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."

The current earliest major SSW event occurred on 28 November in 1969 and 2025.

Reasons for why we're seeing such an early event is not clear. It could be just part of the variability of our weather patterns.

But we also know in a "normal" El Niño year, this can typically bring a weakening of the polar vortex towards the end of winter.