| Term: | Polar low |
| Definition: |
Small, shallow depression which forms mainly in winter over some high-latitude seas within a polar or arctic air mass. Its motion is approximately the same as the air stream in which it is embedded. WMOMeteoterm
A small but intense cyclone that forms in cold polar air advected over warmer water. These vortices often form in the subpolar North Pacific and subpolar North Atlantic equatorward of the sea ice margin. Horizontal scales range from several tens to several hundreds of kilometers. Because of strong winds and intense precipitation, these cyclones are sometimes referred to as "arctic hurricanes." AMSglossary GCW |