Paradoxically, hotter temperatures can bring even harsher winter storms.* *but shorter, milder winters overall
In general, winters are becoming shorter, warmer, and less snow is falling in many regions as we pump more carbon into the atmosphere. Across North America, the length of the season without frost during the year has increased dramatically. Additionally, snow cover has decreased across many regions, fueling the potential for wildfires in places like the American west.1 And yet because global warming has increased the amount of moisture in the atmosphere— the atmosphere is on average 4% wetter than during the 1970s-- in the winter time this means increased blizzard and snow storm.2
EXAMPLES: In the winter of 2009-10, the mid-Atlantic
Exceptionally cold and snowy conditions hit
region of the U.S. had its snowiest season on
much of the Eastern U.S. in the winters of
record as one monster storm after another
2010 and 2011. During these two extreme
buried Washington D.C. and other cities,
winters, New York City recorded three of its
shutting down travel, school, and work.
top-ten snowstorms since 1869, and Philadel-
Meteorologists calculate that, historically, a
phia recorded four of its top-ten snowstorms
winter like that should only happen every 625
since 1884.5
years, but climate change seems to be shifting those odds.4
1. http://www.springerlink.com/content/0008xl84w0743102/fulltext.html#CR27 2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17143269 3. http://www.climatecentral.org/news/warming-arctic-playing-critical-role-in-causing-cold-snowy-winters-study-sa/ 4. http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1426 5. http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1735 6. http://www.climatecentral.org/blogs/whats-causing-the-deadly-cold-in-europe/ 7. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=andes-extreme-cold-extracts-bitter-toll
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