Your post was interesting, as usual.  That said, I had a question: How does the stratospheric polar vortex affect weather in the troposphere?  More to the point, it is above the troposphere (with most of it miles above it), so why would its behavior (whether it is strong, weak, or experiencing a sudden warming event) have any influence on weather down at the surface?

I know it does, based on what I have read at the NOAA site, this blog, and elsewhere (along with experiencing the aftereffects of it in March 2018, February 2021, and this past March).  But I am confused as to why winds far above the Arctic would have such a strong effect on the weather here at the surface.

Thanks for reading this, and I look forward to hearing from you.