Forecasters are now 'confident' of a sudden change in the weather developing this month - meaning a return to snow, ice and frosty temperatures for the UK and Europe

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When the polar vortex weakens, this often allows icy Arctic air to sweep in towards the UK and Europe. For this reason, the Met Office says 70 per cent of stratospheric warming events are usually followed by cold weather and icy blasts.

Essentially, the polar vortex is a mass of freezing air surrounding the poles of the Earth, and when it weakens it can lead to the jet streams becoming less stable, thus allowing frosty Arctic blasts to head southwards, reports the Express.

What is the polar vortex? The polar vortex is a large area of low pressure, cold air around the Earth's poles that blows westward during the winter

A polar vortex collapse is expected to bring severe winter weather to Canada and the US mid-month. This event could also affect the UK and Europe, disrupting weather patterns as cold Arctic air spills southward,

The polar vortex that has dealt the most brutal winter to much of the US in recent years is about to be broken down – but not before unleashing a late-season cold and the biggest yet. A stratospheric warming event has begun,

A polar vortex collapse is set to bring freezing cold temperatures and travel chaos to large parts of the US and Canada in mid-March, with the UK also at risk of a temperature drop

The seemingly imminent polar vortex collapse will result in arctic air being released into North America, marking the second instance of extreme winter weather this year