The stratosphere and troposphere are mostly indifferent to each other. Differences from average atmospheric thickness (“standardized geopotential height anomalies”) in the column of air over the Arctic for the stratosphere and troposphere. Over the last two months, the stratosphere and troposphere have been largely uncoupled. The main exception was in mid-to-late December and late January when the low thickness anomalies (indicative of a stronger than average polar vortex) extended from mid-stratosphere to the surface. The latest forecast from January 29 2025 indicates that this weak interaction will continue for at least the next two weeks. Standardized anomalies are based on departures from the 1991-2020 Climate Forecast System Reanalysis climatologies and have been divided by the standard deviation. Data are from the Global Forecast System observational analysis and forecast. NOAA Climate.gov image.