The Los Angeles wildfires are not the only weird weather phenomenon happening right now. Several states in the southeast region of the US are facing extreme cold weather conditions that stem from Cora. Cora is a winter storm, and one of the biggest there has been in years. The storm started in early Jan, with sources saying effects really started on Jan 9th. Cora died down over the weekend of Jan 11th, but the effects are lingering.
Here in Florida, the storm has brought a pretty cold January. The lowest temperatures reached 33 degrees Fahrenheit, and freeze warnings were issued. That being said, Fla got it easy compared to some of its southeast neighbors. Tx, for example, suffered from record-breaking cold weather conditions. Inches of freezing rain, sleet, and snow pounded Tx, and states like Ga and Ky were not much different.
“I’ve had to bring a jacket every day because it’s so cold out.” Kylie Thompson, a sophomore, said.
Road conditions were extremely dangerous, as roads freeze over at 32 degrees. People were advised to drive as if they were on ice, charge phones, and conserve gas in case they get stuck in their cars. Going somewhere by plane was not much easier, as conditions were deemed unsafe for air travel. As a result, thousands of flights from several different airports were delayed, or canceled completely.
“Sadly, one death occurred in our town, when he was driving an ATV and hit a tree.” Linda Allmand, a resident of Port Arthur, Tx, said.
Travel is not all that Cora affected, as hundreds of thousands of power outages were reported, most of them being in Ga. Almost all power has been restored by now, but the outages did last for at least a couple days. School was another victim of the storm, with over 1 million students missing classes due to dangerous conditions.
“Once the snow started to melt, ice became a problem with nighttime temperatures going way below freezing. The local airport recorded 10 degrees one morning, which the local news said tied the lowest temperature ever here.” Allmand said.
Climate change has been a prevalent topic recently, as people wonder whether it is to blame for all our weather troubles. Meteorologists say we can blame Cora on the polar vortex, which is a ring of strong, frigid winds circling up above the North Pole every winter. When the vortex is unstable, these winds can head south, hitting the US. However, climate change is certainly not helping. Scientists have recently observed a phenomenon that proves that global warming does not always make it warmer. The ever-increasing temperature of earth causes an increase in evaporation, which means that when cold weather hits, the moisture in the air turns into massive amounts of snow and ice.
“I think with a continuation of warming, especially in the oceans there will be more available energy and moisture for bigger winter storms, which can be in the form of extreme amounts of rain or snow. However, we are seeing a trend of increasing rain or mix-events compared to just snow.” Brett Anderson, senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, said.
Of course, there is tons of research on what humans can do to decrease human-caused climate change. A major way is to decrease the use of gas, by walking or riding a bike instead of using a car for every errand. Another way is to shop locally and reasonably for food. If humans can change their behavior, we may be able to put a stop to these catastrophic winter storms and finally switch to one layer of clothes for winter, not two or three.