El Niño Could Change the Winter in Europe, According to Meteorologists
El Niño, which is forming along the equator in the Pacific Ocean, could become one of the strongest on record in modern history. At the same time, its interaction with the polar vortex could significantly affect the weather during the winter of 2026–2027 in North America and Europe.
El Niño is a large-scale climatic phenomenon associated with abnormal warming of surface waters in the central and eastern parts of the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
The polar vortex is a large cyclone of cold air in the upper layers of the atmosphere that forms over the polar regions in the fall and winter.
Scientists do not yet fully understand the mechanisms by which these two phenomena interact. At the same time, it is known that El Niño can weaken the polar vortex in late winter and increase the likelihood of sudden stratospheric warming.
If the polar vortex remains strong, the winter as a whole may be mild.
At the same time, a weakening of the vortex under the influence of El Niño could create conditions for cold Arctic air to penetrate the central and eastern regions of the United States.
Judah Cohen, a polar vortex expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, notes that under certain circumstances, a situation could arise similar to the severe winter conditions observed along the Mid-Atlantic coast during the 2019–2020 season.
However, experts emphasize that it is currently impossible to determine exactly which regions will be affected by such changes.
For Europe, the impact of El Niño is much more difficult to predict, as the continent is not directly affected by this phenomenon.
Winter models currently indicate the possible formation of a high-pressure area over southern Europe and a low-pressure area over the northern and northwestern parts of the continent.
Such a scenario could lead to periods of relatively mild weather in some European countries.
At the same time, some scenarios do not rule out the incursion of colder air masses from the north, primarily into western and northwestern Europe.
Thus, the winter of 2026–2027 may turn out to be quite varied, but it is still too early to draw precise conclusions about temperatures and snowfall in specific countries. The interaction between El Niño and the polar vortex remains one of the key factors that meteorologists will be monitoring in the coming months.
Antena 3 reports this, citing meteorological forecasts.
Ukraine is already preparing its power grid for the upcoming heating season, which is forecast to be no less challenging than the previous one.
As a reminder, gas imports to Ukraine fell 28-fold in April.
Ukraine will increase gas imports from Poland, according to the regulator.
