Spring blizzard fueled by Arctic warming, climate change

Posted on by

Exposing the Big Game's avatarThe Extinction Chronicles

BY JEFF BERARDELLI

 / CBS NEWS

The blizzard pummeling the Upper Midwest and Plain States has already dished out widespread thundersnow, winds gusts close to 70 mph and over 2 feet of snow in spots. On top of that, it’s happening in the month of April, just three weeks after the record-breaking bomb cyclone. By any measure these storms are considered extreme, but climate change is making them even more extreme.

The intensity of the storm is being powered by a sharp 60-degree temperature contrast — 80s in the Southeast and 20s in the Dakotas. Strong contrasts are typical for spring as warm and moist air surges north from the Gulf of Mexico and winter cold remains stubborn. But there’s an added feature heightening the contrast called “Arctic amplification.”

Meteorologists United on Climate Change@MetsUnite

This anomaly map is off the charts. Temperatures range…

View original post 810 more words

Leave a comment