Antarctica’s Sudden Stratospheric Warming Disrupts Weather in New Zealand, Australia, South America
Since 2014, Antarctica has been losing large areas of perennial sea ice, whereas before then sea ice was growing about 1.5% per decade. I suspect asymmetric sea ice loss will lead to an increase in the frequency, severity, and duration of Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) events. Southern SSWs are very rare; this one is big, with an 80C rapid rise. Consequences will likely be unusually extreme cold and precipitation in New Zealand, Southern Australia, and Southern South America, and excessive heat and also drought slightly northward in Australia and South America.
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