There is no pleasant way to say this: we (East North America) are in for a cold February.
Polar vortex to lock brutal cold over eastern US for most of February
Getting clear on the mechanisms involved, it is all about understanding what the wind is:
cold air rushing in to replace warm air that rises:
https://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-wind.htm
Copilot:
https://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-wind.htm; where is Montreal on the global wind patterns map, above or below the 30 degree line... I am trying to make sense of the very cold weather we will be seeing to the end of February...
Montreal sits well above the 30° latitude line.
Your latitude is roughly 45.5° N, which places you squarely in the mid‑latitudes, inside the zone dominated by the prevailing westerlies.
Here’s how that fits into the global wind‑pattern map you were reading:
Montreal is 15° north of the 30° line, deep in the zone where:
The jet stream controls winter weather
Cold Arctic air can plunge south when the jet dips
Storm systems frequently track west‑to‑east across North America
This is exactly the region where polar vortex disruptions and Arctic outbreaks hit hardest.
❄ Why the End of February Looks So Cold
Your other open tab mentions a polar vortex locking brutal cold over the eastern US. That’s the key.
When the polar vortex weakens or becomes distorted, lobes of extremely cold Arctic air spill southward.
Because Montreal is in the westerlies + jet stream corridor, you’re directly in the path when:
The jet stream dips south
Arctic high‑pressure systems slide southeast
Storm tracks shift to bring cold, dry air from the Prairies or the Arctic Archipelago
This is why Quebec often gets sharper, longer cold snaps than places even farther north but outside the jet‑stream corridor.
🧭 Putting it all together
Montreal is above 30°, in the mid‑latitude westerlies.
This zone is highly sensitive to jet‑stream shifts.
A polar vortex disruption can lock in cold for weeks.
Late‑February cold snaps are classic outcomes of this pattern.
If you want, we can map out how the jet stream typically behaves over Quebec, or look at historical late‑February cold patterns to see how this year compares.
