Stratospheric warming has triggered arctic air across Russia. The frigid air mass expands toward China later this month. In North America, the pattern stays mild the second half of February.

Solar Cycle 25 was off to a roaring start regarding sunspot activity in 2024 but has eased back toward the NASA Solar Cycle 25 peak forecast for late this year and 2025 during the past couple months.

Phasing of the subtropical and polar jet streams take place over the Northeast U.S. to spawn an impressive 975 MB “bomb cyclone” east of Nantucket and a change from a large veil of rain to all snow as the storm progresses through Pennsylvania and New Jersey to New England on Tuesday.

The Europe Drought Monitor identifies a strong Northwest Africa drought having a northeastward extension to East Spain and Italy. There is some short-term rain in Morocco, otherwise the dry and very warm pattern is likely to regenerate.