Because of climate change, governments seem to be placing special emphasis on climate events that are being driven by global warming. A new study in Science Warning: A warming Arctic is also increasing the risks of severe winter weather, especially in the United States.
Just as the United States has been blighted by wildfires on the West Coast, a hurricane on the East Coast and scorching heat in Louisiana and Mississippi, the American Association for the Advancement of Science issues a new report that does not bode well for the winter.
In the report, Linking Arctic variability and change with severe winter weather in the United StatesIn this article, the authors explain how they expect the so-called stratospheric polar vortex, a mass of icy air above the North Pole, to “expand” as a result of warming in the Arctic, where temperatures are rising faster than the rest of the planet. This increases the risks of severe winter weather in the United States and abroad.
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To reach this conclusion, the report’s authors analyzed four decades of polar vortex data. Based on this, they were able to determine trends in weather patterns.
They also used weather forecasting models, the same models that experts recently used to predict the arrival of Hurricane Ida.
According to the report, the trend of “polar vortex extension” indicates a greater chance of extreme cold occurring in the United States, Canada and East Asia. Researchers have also linked it to a deadly cold snap in the usually hot state of Texas in February of this year.
According to the researchers, there are also strong indications that a cold zone could spread to Europe.
The report argues that policymakers who are not focused on preparing for today’s extreme cold should do so anyway. “Preparation for only a decrease in severe winter weather can lead to higher human and economic costs in the event of severe winter weather, as was already demonstrated in February 2021 during the Texas cold snap,” the authors say.
Read more about the study at Science.org.
Just as the United States has been blighted by wildfires on the West Coast, a hurricane on the East Coast and scorching heat in Louisiana and Mississippi, the American Association for the Advancement of Science issues a new report that does not bode well for the winter. In the report, which links Arctic variability and change with harsh winter weather in the United States, the authors explain how they expect the so-called stratospheric polar vortex, a mass of icy air over the Arctic, to be “stretched” as a result of warming. From the North Pole, where temperatures are rising faster than the rest of the planet. This increases the likelihood of severe winter weather in the United States and beyond, and to reach that conclusion, the report’s authors analyzed four decades of polar vortex data. This allowed them to identify trends in weather patterns. They also used weather forecasting models, the same models that experts recently used to predict the arrival of Hurricane Ida. According to the report, the trend of “an extension of the polar vortex” holds a greater chance of extreme cold in the United States, Canada and East Asia. Researchers have also linked it to a deadly cold snap in the usually hot state of Texas in February of this year. According to the researchers, there are also strong indications that a cold region could spread to Europe. The report states that policy makers who are not focused today on preparing for extreme cold should do so anyway. “Preparing for a decrease in severe winter weather could increase human and economic costs in the event of severe winter weather, as shown in February 2021 during a Texas cold snap,” the authors say. Read more about the study at Science.org.
