Rising global temperatures are driving stronger and more frequent snowstorms, US researchers said Tuesday. As heat increases atmospheric moisture, extreme weather events in every season become more likely, scientists told a Union of Concerned Scientists briefing.
The northeastern US has been hit by three major Category 3 or larger snowstorms each winter for the past two years, a stretch without precedent since 1960-61. Researchers expect heavy snow events to keep intensifying for several decades before temperatures climb too high for significant snowfall.
Reduced Arctic sea ice is a key factor: less ice allows ocean heat to enter the atmosphere and may disrupt polar circulation patterns. Meanwhile, melting snowpack across the upper Midwest could trigger record flooding in Minnesota and the Dakotas this spring.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in March 2011, in its own words.