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January has certainly been a strange blend of not-so-winter weather, and eyelash-freezing weather. The month began in the 20s and 30s, with a green New Years Day. In mid-January, we were faced with an artic blast, wind-chills creating feels-like temperatures below -20 degrees F, and snow. A week later, temperatures rose to nearly 40 degrees.
What does all of this fluctuation mean? It means that climate change is causing irregularity in our weather patterns.
According to National Geographic, extreme cold is a result of a warming climate. "Extreme weather events like these are predicted to become more intense thanks to climate change, despite the fact that winters are getting shorter, and global temperatures are on the rise"
But why would climate change, often referred to as global warming, cause colder temperatures?
For that, we have to understand the difference between weather and climate. Weather being what is happening outside right now, climate being the compilation of average weather data for 30+ years. Climate data points to warming averages, while this warming can lead to more weather variability on a day to day basis.
“Warm temperatures in the Arctic cause the jet stream to take these wild swings, and when it swings farther south, that causes cold air to reach farther south. These swings tend to hang around for awhile, so the weather we have in the eastern United States, whether it’s cold or warm, tends to stay with us longer," said study author Jennifer Francis.
As a result, we have had one week of cross country ski and snowshoe rentals this winter. That being said, we are hopeful as we go into February that snow will come and skiing will resume! Keep up with our socials or check our website to see when renting picks back up.
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