Is Climate Change Causing More Severe Weather in the US?

As millions of Americans prepare for another major winter storm projected to hit the central US starting today, we’re taking a look at the recent uptick in extreme weather events across America and whether they can be attributed to climate change.

❄️ In the Northeast: The hurricane-level blizzard this past weekend that dumped up to 30 inches of snow is consistent with research showing how winter storms are changing along with the climate.

• The Gulf of Maine is one of the fastest-warming ocean regions on Earth. As water temperatures continue to rise, more moisture is added to the atmosphere. This in turn causes an increase in heavy precipitation events.
• A majority of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast's biggest snowstorms on record have occurred over the past few decades. 
• Including Saturday's storm, six of Boston's top 10 snowstorms have occurred since 2003, with similar trends observed in NYC, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and DC.

✋ Yes, but… ‘On record’ isn't very long when talking about the Earth’s history. The NOAA only has detailed climate data for the US dating back to 1895 – a drop in the bucket compared to the hundreds of millions of years that Earth has been habitable.

• Those skeptical of a connection between climate change and increased precipitation argue there may be other factors at play that can’t be accurately captured over such a relatively short period of time.

🌀 Moving South… A recent study published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications found major hurricanes in the North Atlantic (aka the Southeast US) have become more frequent over the past 150 years.

• The study’s author said one possible explanation could be changes in ocean currents due to global warming, but also said factors other than climate change could be influencing the hurricane count.

🏜️ Out West: Extended droughts have long been a feature of the western US. But many climate experts warn that rising temperatures are making things worse, with more frequent heatwaves also leading to a record number of wildfires in recent years.

• During 1984–2000, records show 1.69 million acres burned across 11 western states.
• That number doubled to ~3.35 million acres during 2001–2018.
• In 2020 alone, the total burned area jumped to 8.8 million acres.

✋ Yes, but… Land use and forest management also play a significant role in wildfire risk. Some policymakers argue that poor practices in these areas are largely to blame for the recent uptick, citing statistics showing more than 80% of US wildfires are caused by humans.