I’m only a seasonal weather nerd, but I think the Washington Post has a better climate reporting desk than the New York Times. Case in point: this cogent explainer for this winter’s coldness, compared to recent years: ‘Why the U.S. has been home to Earth’s most unusually cold air this year‘

In early 2025, the stratospheric polar vortex was mostly normal, strong and anchored from Siberia to Greenland. However, its tropospheric counterpart was quite different, sliding unusually far south and frequently swiping the United States.

This is what makes this year’s cold outbreak unique.
Whether significant climatic changes in the Arctic will result in more polar vortex episodes in the United States — and subsequent outbreaks of extreme winter cold — is still an active area of research.

– Ben Noll, Washington Post article

Just in case you’re curious about why this year’s winter in the northeast is setting an unusual pattern of cold weather. It’s not something we can expect as a new normal unfortunately. Hope you didn’t yawn.