In the Bay Area, it may be hard to imagine anything close to an icy winter. However, the weather has been quite different in the Midwest and Northeast side of the United States.
At least 21 reported deaths resulted from the bitter cold the Arctic air brought by the polar vortex this winter. Illinois hospitals have treated over 220 patients with frostbite or hypothermia in January. This is the coldest arctic outbreak in at least two decades.
Wind chills of minus 50 degrees or below were observed from central Illinois and Northwest Indiana, including much of Chicagoland and the Milwaukee metro area. Rugby, North Dakota, reached minus 49 degrees on January 30, while International Falls, Minnesota set a daily record low with minus 46 degrees on January 27. Many more areas including Michigan, Chicago, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa are setting new lowest temperature records, breaking original records set back mostly in the 1900s.
For the unusual climate raging on, scientists are claiming linkage to climate change. The sea ice is quickly melting away in the arctic, summer time heat is absorbed by the dark ocean, and later released into the atmosphere during winter, spurring winds that can disrupt the polar vortex, a band of strong winds that keeps the cold air locked around the Arctic region. When disturbances in the jet-stream and intrusion of warmer air occur, it can distort the vortex to travel further south into middle latitudes, including the United States. This means extreme heat causes extreme cold.
Global warming does not mean everywhere is warming up like Donald Trump thinks. “In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can’t last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global Warming? Please come back fast, we need you!” the U.S. president tweeted on January 28.
But we cannot ignore climate change’s role allowing the flow of Arctic air south. The globe has reached its hottest record in the past four years. The United States is not an exception with breaking records, high temperatures outnumbering record lows by a ratio of two to one. If we fail in reducing greenhouse gases, the situation of abnormal climate will worsen.
Especially when climate change attacks populated areas, severe harm reaches people who are incapable of looking after themselves such as the homeless, elderly, and children. In a few years, places like New York could be too cold for anyone to live. While it’s hard to be concerned about this in California yet, this is a very clear warning of climate change that should not be ignored.
At least 21 reported deaths resulted from the bitter cold the Arctic air brought by the polar vortex this winter. Illinois hospitals have treated over 220 patients with frostbite or hypothermia in January. This is the coldest arctic outbreak in at least two decades.
Wind chills of minus 50 degrees or below were observed from central Illinois and Northwest Indiana, including much of Chicagoland and the Milwaukee metro area. Rugby, North Dakota, reached minus 49 degrees on January 30, while International Falls, Minnesota set a daily record low with minus 46 degrees on January 27. Many more areas including Michigan, Chicago, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa are setting new lowest temperature records, breaking original records set back mostly in the 1900s.
For the unusual climate raging on, scientists are claiming linkage to climate change. The sea ice is quickly melting away in the arctic, summer time heat is absorbed by the dark ocean, and later released into the atmosphere during winter, spurring winds that can disrupt the polar vortex, a band of strong winds that keeps the cold air locked around the Arctic region. When disturbances in the jet-stream and intrusion of warmer air occur, it can distort the vortex to travel further south into middle latitudes, including the United States. This means extreme heat causes extreme cold.
Global warming does not mean everywhere is warming up like Donald Trump thinks. “In coming days, expected to get even colder. People can’t last outside even for minutes. What the hell is going on with Global Warming? Please come back fast, we need you!” the U.S. president tweeted on January 28.
But we cannot ignore climate change’s role allowing the flow of Arctic air south. The globe has reached its hottest record in the past four years. The United States is not an exception with breaking records, high temperatures outnumbering record lows by a ratio of two to one. If we fail in reducing greenhouse gases, the situation of abnormal climate will worsen.
Especially when climate change attacks populated areas, severe harm reaches people who are incapable of looking after themselves such as the homeless, elderly, and children. In a few years, places like New York could be too cold for anyone to live. While it’s hard to be concerned about this in California yet, this is a very clear warning of climate change that should not be ignored.