Khaberni - Former U.S. President Donald Trump, by mistake, cited the polar storm that is currently hitting vast areas in the United States, considering it as evidence—from his point of view—against the validity of claims related to the earth’s warming due to current human fuel usage patterns and behaviors.
Trump, known for his continual skepticism of established scientific facts regarding climate change, commented on his own platform «Truth Social» about the storm expected to continue over the coming days, saying: «I’ve rarely seen anything like this before. And can environmentalists explain to us what happened to global warming?»
According to weather forecasts, the winter storm began forming from the Rocky Mountains, before gradually extending towards the Midwest and southern United States, continuing its advance towards the eastern coast.
Estimates indicate that a large number of residents may be directly or indirectly affected by this storm, amidst warnings of very slippery roads, high chances of traffic accidents, a large number of roads closed due to snow accumulation, and potential power outages in several states, due to strong winds and excessive loads on the networks.
This storm is due to a rush of extremely cold air from the Arctic, which collided with warmer, more humid air over American land. Under normal circumstances, the cold polar air remains confined to the far north of the globe by what is known as the «polar vortex», a wide circular band of strong winds that circle around the pole. However, weakening of this vortex or its expansion allows the frozen polar air to sneak southward, akin to a rush of cold air into a warm room when the door is opened on a very cold day, which is the current scenario.
Recent scientific studies, published during the last year, have shown that this type of expansion of the polar vortex directly contributes to the increasing frequency of extreme weather phenomena within the United States. Contrary to the prevailing belief among skeptics, these studies suggest that global warming could play a role in speeding up disturbances to the polar vortex, rather than reducing them.
Scientists confirm that the Arctic region is experiencing a rise in temperatures at a rate up to four times the average increase across the rest of the world. This accelerated warming leads to a series of interconnected effects, most notably the melting of sea ice, which in turn exacerbates global warming and increases the likelihood of the polar vortex’s instability, thereby repeating harsh cold waves in regions far from the pole.
In this context, climate experts emphasize that one severe winter storm, even if extreme, in a specific region of a country, cannot be considered sufficient proof of long-term global climate trends. Climate data clearly indicates that the world is experiencing a noticeable rise in temperatures, and that even the winter seasons, including in the United States, are becoming warmer compared to the past, contributing to the melting of glaciers and changing seasonal weather patterns.
Even as the current storm intensifies, vast areas in the western United States are simultaneously experiencing a significant lack of snowfall, negatively affecting the activity of many ski resorts. Over the long term, the picture becomes clearer as the duration of cold winter periods has shortened by an average of about six days across most parts of the United States since the 1970s, according to data from the «Climate Central» research center. From «The Guardian»
Rising Temperatures
Cold days are significantly fewer in number compared to the days with extreme heat that are recording increasingly higher numbers in the current era, a trend that is directly linked to the rise in global temperatures resulting from the exacerbation of global warming.
Climate records indicate that the average annual temperatures in the United States have risen by at least 2.5 degrees Celsius since the 1970s, an additional indication of the deep climate changes that the planet is experiencing.
