Climate Change Makes Winter Longer

Polar vortex shifting due to climate change, extending winter, study finds

Jason Samenow, October 31, 2016 (Washinton Post)

"Global warming could be making winters in eastern North America even longer…[because sea ice loss in the Arctic is shifting the polar vortex, turning temperatures colder during March, according to Persistent shift of the Arctic polar vortex towards the Eurasian continent in recent decades.] The polar vortex is the zone of frigid air that encircles the Arctic and is most pronounced during winter. Occasionally, it fragments and pieces of it plunge into eastern North America carrying bitter cold air. The winters of 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 witnessed several such polar vortex disintegrations and resulted in record-setting cold snaps…[T]he vortex has changed position while weakening over the past three decades. The net result has been to increase delivery of cold air into parts of Eurasia and North America, particularly in late winter and early spring…[T]his new study shows a marked shift in the vortex from North America toward Europe and Asia during February. The meteorology is complicated, but the study says this shift tends to result in more of a dip in the jet stream over the East Coast during March, which leads to colder temperatures…” click here for more

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