Storm Goretti is expected to bring a wintry blast to the United Kingdom on Friday, according to British weather authorities. The UK's nationwide meteorological service, the Met Office, said parts of the UK will see as much as 30 centimeters (almost 12 inches) of snow. Winds of up to 160 kilometers (99 miles) per hour are also in the forecast.
The polar vortex is like a giant, spinning whirlpool of cold air high up in the atmosphere above the North Pole, normally held in place by strong winds that act as a barrier, keeping the extreme cold locked away from the US. However, strong storms and high-pressure systems in the lower atmosphere have sent ripples of warmer air upward that knocked this vortex off balance, allowing the icy Arctic air to dip farther south and blanket the US.