SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Burgerbukta Glacier in the Arctic. Warmer temperatures in the Arctic have helped to cause extreme winter weather conditions, like the snowstorm experienced on the United States' East Coast on Tuesday.(Photo: Gary Bembridge/Flickr/cc)
Extreme Winter Weather Across US and Europe Linked to Unusually Warm Arctic Temperatures
"This winter is a great example of what we can expect from climate change."
Mar 13, 2018
As both those in North America and Europea have experienced bitter cold snaps and heavy snowfall this winter, climate scientists have recorded an exceptionally warm season in the Arctic Circle and researchers say that while global warming has caused warmer temperatures around the globe overall there is also a strong link between the climate crisis and extreme winter weather events.
"This winter is a great example of what we can expect from climate change," Judah Cohen, a climate scientist at Atmospheric and Environmental Research, told the Guardian. "In the U.S. we had the 'bomb cyclone' in January, followed by July-like warm weather in February that I'd never seen before. And now we've had a parade of powerful winter storms and the beast from the east. It's mind boggling."
Cohen's research was published by Nature Communications on Tuesday ust as the U.S. East Coast was hit by its third severe snowstorm in ten days. As CNN notes, the study "found that major winter storms were two to four times more likely when the Arctic is abnormally warm, compared to when it was abnormally cold."
This week's severe weather followed some of the longest-lasting warm weather ever recorded in the Arctic Circle in the month of February, with more than 60 hours of above-freezing temperatures logged. As Common Dreams reported last week, scientists had previously only observed the temperature climbing above freezing twice in February, both for short periods of time.
The new research out Tuesay suggests that the polar vortex has been disrupted by the warming of the globe. Warming temperatures have weakened the low pressure system's flow, argue climate scientists, causing it to drift southward from the polar region--and to bring cold Arctic air along with it.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
As both those in North America and Europea have experienced bitter cold snaps and heavy snowfall this winter, climate scientists have recorded an exceptionally warm season in the Arctic Circle and researchers say that while global warming has caused warmer temperatures around the globe overall there is also a strong link between the climate crisis and extreme winter weather events.
"This winter is a great example of what we can expect from climate change," Judah Cohen, a climate scientist at Atmospheric and Environmental Research, told the Guardian. "In the U.S. we had the 'bomb cyclone' in January, followed by July-like warm weather in February that I'd never seen before. And now we've had a parade of powerful winter storms and the beast from the east. It's mind boggling."
Cohen's research was published by Nature Communications on Tuesday ust as the U.S. East Coast was hit by its third severe snowstorm in ten days. As CNN notes, the study "found that major winter storms were two to four times more likely when the Arctic is abnormally warm, compared to when it was abnormally cold."
This week's severe weather followed some of the longest-lasting warm weather ever recorded in the Arctic Circle in the month of February, with more than 60 hours of above-freezing temperatures logged. As Common Dreams reported last week, scientists had previously only observed the temperature climbing above freezing twice in February, both for short periods of time.
The new research out Tuesay suggests that the polar vortex has been disrupted by the warming of the globe. Warming temperatures have weakened the low pressure system's flow, argue climate scientists, causing it to drift southward from the polar region--and to bring cold Arctic air along with it.
As both those in North America and Europea have experienced bitter cold snaps and heavy snowfall this winter, climate scientists have recorded an exceptionally warm season in the Arctic Circle and researchers say that while global warming has caused warmer temperatures around the globe overall there is also a strong link between the climate crisis and extreme winter weather events.
"This winter is a great example of what we can expect from climate change," Judah Cohen, a climate scientist at Atmospheric and Environmental Research, told the Guardian. "In the U.S. we had the 'bomb cyclone' in January, followed by July-like warm weather in February that I'd never seen before. And now we've had a parade of powerful winter storms and the beast from the east. It's mind boggling."
Cohen's research was published by Nature Communications on Tuesday ust as the U.S. East Coast was hit by its third severe snowstorm in ten days. As CNN notes, the study "found that major winter storms were two to four times more likely when the Arctic is abnormally warm, compared to when it was abnormally cold."
This week's severe weather followed some of the longest-lasting warm weather ever recorded in the Arctic Circle in the month of February, with more than 60 hours of above-freezing temperatures logged. As Common Dreams reported last week, scientists had previously only observed the temperature climbing above freezing twice in February, both for short periods of time.
The new research out Tuesay suggests that the polar vortex has been disrupted by the warming of the globe. Warming temperatures have weakened the low pressure system's flow, argue climate scientists, causing it to drift southward from the polar region--and to bring cold Arctic air along with it.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.