An MJO-inspired pulse of wet monsoon weather shifts into Northern Australia to start the New Year. However, the MJO may shift eastward later in January with a goal of eroding La Nina and shifting the Australia climate drier as indicated by ECMWF in 3-4 weeks.

Stratospheric cooling over Alaska motivated a tropospheric "ridge bridge" across Alaska to the polar region motivating cross-polar flow of arctic air into an emerging polar vortex over the Midwest U.S. resulting in a frigid arctic outbreak for the U.S.