Brace yourselves! A very cold winter is coming

For the first time, the Arctic sea ice is not yet freezing in late October – the unusual phenomenon could result in extreme weather conditions in the upcoming winter.

The delay of the annual freeze could bring an extremely cold winter, Portfolio reports. Based on data from the Hungarian Meteorological Service, while the extent of sea ice in the Arctic in September 2020 was recorded the second lowest, in October, it reached a record-low level. The freeze-up takes a completely different pace now; the recovering of the ice is much slower than ever before.

But how does this affect the weather?

The atmosphere of the large area, the transport of saltier water towards the Arctic Ocean, and the above-normal surface temperature of the ice-free water can produce positive feedback mechanisms, which can then cause a delay in freezing.