极地涡旋是一种持续的、大规模的气旋，且只发生于地球的极地，介于对流层和平流层的中部和上部。这种涡旋在极夜的时候最为强大，因为此时的温度梯度是最大，但持续缩减，到夏季甚至会消失。南极极地涡旋比北极极地涡旋更为显着，持续时间也更长。这是因为北半球高纬度地质因素增强了罗斯比波，而就是罗斯比波引起涡旋的破裂；与之相比，在南半球涡旋则更为稳定。北极涡旋形状上是瘦长的，有两个中心，一个在加拿大的巴芬岛，而另一个在西伯利亚的东北部。

南极极地涡旋的化学现象已经导致严重的臭氧消耗。极地同温层云团中的硝酸与CFC反应生成氯，也就是对臭氧的光化学破坏。氯在冬天的极夜中凝聚、堆积，到春天（9月／10月），持续的臭氧破坏也将更为严重。这些云只能在-80°C以下形成，故而较为暖和的北极区域形成不了臭氧层空洞。

A polar vortex is a upper level low pressure zone, the lies near the Earth's pole. There are two polar vortices in the Earth's atmosphere, which overlie the North, and South Poles. Each polar vortex is a persistent, large-scale, low pressure zone that rotates counter-clockwise at the North Pole (called an cyclone), and clockwise at the South Pole. The bases of the two polar vortices are located in the middle and upper troposphere and extend into the stratosphere. Beneath that lies a large mass of cold, dense arctic air. The vortices weaken and strengthen from year to year. When the vortex of the arctic is strong it is well defined, there is a single vortex and the arctic air is well contained; when weaker, which it generally is, it will break into two or more vortices; when very weak, the flow of arctic air becomes more disorganized and masses of cold arctic air can push equatorward, bringing with it a rapid and sharp temperature drop. The interface between the cold dry air mass of the pole and the warm moist air mass further south defines the location of the polar front. The polar front is centered, roughly at 60° latitude. A polar vortex strengthens in the winter and weakens in the summer due to its dependence on the temperature difference between the equator and the poles. The vortices span less than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) in diameter within which they rotate counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, and in a clockwise fashion in the Southern Hemisphere. As with other cyclones, their rotation is driven by the Coriolis effect.