Record-breaking snow across the US and climate change

Record-breaking snow falls across the Unuted States

Jeremy Hance
courtesy of mongabay.com
December 26, 2009

Over the past few weeks the United States has been pounded by a number of big snow storms. A week ago Washington DC received 18 inches of snow, setting a number of records. Over Christmas, the middle of the country, from Texas to Minnesota was also hit by record amounts of snow. While snow fall over the East Coast and middle of the country in the United States in December is hardly unusual, a number of record amounts of precipitation may point to a larger shift in the climate. Scientists say that higher temperatures causes more water evaporation, which increases the chances of heavy precipitation events, such as floods and snowstorms.

Oklahoma City hit a record with 14 inches of snow. Dallas-area received its first snowfall on Christmas Eve since records began in 1898. The snowfall also broke Christmas Eve records for Minnesota’s Twin Cities by over two inches. Twenty-three people were killed so far due to the extreme weather across the middle of the country.

While scientists say that it is not possible to link a single extreme weather-event—such as one record snowfall—directly to climate change, a pattern of increased heavy precipitation is expected due to climate change in the US. According to the NCDC’s Climate Extreme Index (CEI) heavy daily precipitation has been increasing since 1950 in the United States.

Globally, precipitation has increased in regions over 30 degrees north according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, but has been declining in tropical regions since the 70s.

• Peyton Manning wins record 4th AP MVP [/caption] By BARRY WILNER, AP Football Writer NEW YORK (AP)—Maybe the award should be renamed Most Valuable Peyton. Peyton Manning...
• What's Keeping Earth Cooler Expected? New Report on Climate Change Explores the Possibilities [/caption] The planet has warmed much less than expected during the industrial era based on current best estimates of Earth's...
• World Universal Facts [/caption] Alaska * More than half of the coastline of the entire United States is in Alaska. Amazon *The Amazon...
• Blagojevich corruption trial to begin soon [/caption] CHICAGO – Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich sees his trial's Thursday start as the end of an 18-month ordeal...
• Deadly winter storm arrives in US Midwest [/caption] A "humongous" and deadly winter storm is spreading across the US Midwest, with freezing rain and heavy snow causing...

• Your Post-Christmas To-Do List Christmas is over - now what do I do? The pre-Christmas chaos, adrenaline rush and maybe euphoria are now slipping...
• State Excise Taxes On Cigarettes - What's Your Take? Yes, we know - cigarettes are bad for you and not too many people dispute that fact. They also supposedly...
• Global Warming Could Result In New York Flooding Global Warming Could Result In New York Flooding Global warming - a gradual increase in planet-wide temperatures - is now...
• Unsophisticated, Cold Climate, and 'Backwoods' States have Lower Foreclosure Rates Being one that is easily fascinated by consumer psychology and social trends, I noticed a few interesting correlations that appears...
• Fun Facts about Winter December 22 is the first day of winter for all the folks in the Northern Hemisphere! The sun is the...