According to meteorologists, the so-called "polar vortex" will be weaker than usual this winter.
And for Germany, for example, this will most likely mean a cold winter with arctic cold spells, according to experts.
The last time a meridional weather pattern led to a winter of the century in Germany was in 1978/79.
Back then, people experienced heavy snowfall, blizzards, and extremely low temperatures.
What is expected around Christmas?
Current weather patterns are showing a generally mild outlook for the days around Christmas, albeit with isolated cold spells. This is reportedly confirmed by the 42-day trend from wetter.de.
The European Weather Centre's long-term model also shows a cooling, but only after the holidays.
Only the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) expects significantly higher temperatures on average for the month.
However, since this average is strongly influenced by the next two weeks, this does not contradict a possible subsequent cooling, writes Euronews, the Telegraph reports.
January: freezing cold or early spring?
In January, experts mostly show changeable trends, quite mild, a little wintery and a lot of gray.
This puts the NOAA model on the same path, although its calculations have recently fluctuated significantly.
The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) models are interesting: they show a January that could be slightly cooler and drier than long-term averages.
Such weather conditions would indicate a sustained high pressure over Central Europe.
And high pressure in January can be deceiving: during the day, everything looks friendly, but fog and cold quickly lead to permafrost and frost.
Then there is the polar vortex factor.
Especially in the height of winter, it tends to cause disturbances that can direct cold Arctic air towards Europe.
La Niña and El Niño
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center has also confirmed that La Niña conditions are present this year and are expected to continue through December 2025 - February 2026.
In general, La Niña leads to colder than normal temperatures in Western Europe.
La Niña is part of a natural climate cycle, but, like El Niño, it can cause extreme weather around the world.
It occurs when sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean fall below average.
Therefore, it is the opposite of the warm phase of El Niño.
Both La Niña and El Niño can have widespread effects on global weather patterns, including Europe, but the further a location is from the Pacific Ocean, the stronger these effects can be.
As a rule, La Niña also brings wetter and colder conditions to the Alps, which can lead to more frequent and heavier snowfall.
So for skiers, the prospect of a winter of the century could perhaps be welcome news. /Telegrafi/
