A Weakening Polar Vortex, and Italy's First Cold Snap of the Season

Forecast models suggest the stratospheric polar vortex over the northern hemisphere could weaken significantly within the next ten days, the Guardian reported on Monday. The newspaper described the prospect as unusually early, and said the disruption to winds above the Arctic threatens to alter weather patterns across parts of Europe in the coming weeks.

Italy began the same week under a changed sky. The Local Italy reported on Monday that temperatures would fall below seasonal averages across the country, with heavy rainfall and strong winds expected in the centre and south. Its morning roundup carried storm alerts for southern Italy, and its weather reporting placed the strongest wind and rain in the centre-south rather than the north.

The southern coast had already taken the worst of it. Al Jazeera published surveillance footage on Monday evening showing the moment a tornado ripped through a beach resort restaurant at Castellaneta Marina. The wire item is a video report; it gives no casualty figures and no estimate of structural damage.