Abstract:The main characteristics of the general atmospheric circulation in winter 2023 (from December 2023 to February 2024) are as follows. The polar vortex is characterized by a dipole pattern in the Northern Hemisphere. The westerlies in middle and high latitudes present a three-wave mode, and the troughs and ridges in the westerlies are stronger than the historical average. One tropical cyclone is generated in western North Pacific and the South China Sea, which is 0.53 less than the annual average (1.53). A total of 12 tropical cyclones are formed in the world’s other oceans, 3.33 less than the multi-year average (15.33). There are 8 gale processes (above Beaufort wind force scale 8) over offshore areas of China, among which 5 are produced by cold air, one by extratropical cyclones, and two by cold air and extratropical cyclones. There are 7 obvious sea fog processes and 13 waves higher than 2.0 m over offshore areas of China. The offshore sea surface temperature gradually decreases, and the cooling in the northern seas is greater than that in the southern seas.