In this study, the relationship between the interannual variability of Arctic-midlatitude thermal gradient (AMG) and the winter atmospheric blocking frequency in the Ural region (UBF) is investigated in the ERA5 reanalysis product from 1940 to 2023. In particular, the paper focuses on the large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns associated with high UBF concomitant to weak AMG and vice versa, revisiting the more common and documented relationship connecting intense Ural blocking activity to strong AMG. Results show that displacements of the atmospheric blocking from the Ural region towards the Arctic lead to anomalous southerly thermal advections at polar latitudes and stronger AMG. On the other hand, high blocking frequency co-occurring in the Ural, Greenland and Chukotka regions lead to weaker AMG by limiting northward heat advections towards the Arctic region. These findings highlight a more complex picture of the role of subpolar atmospheric circulation in controlling the AMG.
