An Early Weakening of the Polar Vortex, and a Cold Snap for Italy

The stratospheric polar vortex over the northern hemisphere is facing the prospect of an unusually early weakening, the Guardian reported on Monday. Its environment desk, citing forecast models, said the vortex could weaken significantly within the next ten days, and that the disruption to winds above the Arctic threatens to alter weather patterns across parts of the continent in the coming weeks, with colder weather a possible result. The paper presents this as an outlook drawn from models rather than a settled forecast.

At ground level, The Local Italy reported on Monday that temperatures are set to drop below seasonal averages across Italy this week, with heavy rainfall and strong winds expected in the centre and south on Monday. The outlet's Monday news roundup separately listed storm alerts for southern Italy, among other domestic items.

The south duly had its storm. Al Jazeera published surveillance footage on Monday night showing the moment a tornado ripped through a beach resort restaurant at Castellaneta Marina, on Italy's southern coast, during what the broadcaster described as a powerful storm.