Climate change is making winter colder in the Northeast
Rising temperatures are weakening the jet stream, allowing frigid Arctic air to reach further south.
Early this week, record cold blasted the Northeast, as Boston, Massachusetts saw a high of 10°F, and nearby Worcester saw the temperature top out at just 1°F. Meteorologists say this is just the beginning of a lengthy stretch of freezing weather.
Paradoxically, frosty winter temperatures in some areas have been linked to rising temperatures around the globe. Climate change is distorting weather systems, yielding colder winter weather in parts of the world, including much of the United States. One reason for this phenomenon is a weakening of the polar jet stream, the air current circling the Arctic.
The jet stream is the result of the difference in temperature between colder northern latitudes and temperate southern latitudes. Warm air from the equator is colliding with cold air from the Arctic, and a ribbon of powerful winds runs the length of the collision. Ushered along by the rotation of the Earth, this air current is moving west to east at speeds upwards of 200 miles per hour.
The jet stream is strongest in the winter months when the temperature difference between north and south is greatest. Cold air is denser than warm air, so when the difference in temperature is greater, the difference in density is also greater, and the barrier between cold air and warm air is firmer. Think of cold air and warm air like vinegar and oil, which are kept distinct by their different densities.
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