East Asian Winter Temperature Whiplashes and the Role of Mid-High-Latitude Intraseasonal Oscillations

Winter temperature whiplash events, marked by rapid shifts from extreme warm to extreme cold (W2C) or vice versa (C2W), pose substantial risks to ecosystems, energy systems, and human health. Despite their significance, the dynamic mechanisms behind these events remain poorly understood. Here, we find that East Asian winter temperature whiplash events occurred in 23 of 44 winters (52%) during 1980/81–2023/24. These temperature whiplash events are driven by southeastward-propagating 10–40-day intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs) over Eurasian mid-to-high latitudes. Horizontal temperature advection associated with the phase reversals of the Siberian High, Ural Blocking, and East Asian Trough, dynamically modulates surface extreme warming or cooling processes. These processes are further amplified by stratosphere–troposphere coupling via its influence on meridional winds in mid-to-high latitude. Diabatic processes (e.g., cloud cover and radiative flux variations) also provide thermodynamic contributions. Notably, 73% of temperature reversals occur during active Madden–Julian Oscillation phases, indicating additional tropical modulation. This study offers new insight into the mechanisms driving winter temperature whiplashes by highlighting the crucial role of mid-to-high latitude ISOs.