Antarctic ozone today: The ozone distribution is that of early spring with ozone amounts highest around the Southern Ocean and amounts rapidly declining over the continent as ozone depletion takes hold. Highest ozone values, above 450 DU, are over the Southern Ocean south of the Indian Ocean, with lowest values, below 150 DU, over the Weddell Sea and Palmer Land. There are significant differences between the various satellite measurements. Stratospheric temperatures are past their coldest, and are widely below the threshold for Polar Stratospheric Cloud formation. A warming is beginning to take place in the highest part of the ozone layer. Through most of the ozone layer they are colder than the long term average. The polar vortex is a little above average in size for the time of year over the last decade and at its largest. The ozone hole itself has grown very rapidly in area since the beginning of September and covered some 18 million square kilometres in mid September; it has generally been similar in size to those of 2012 or 2013, and smaller than the decadal mean.