Storms & Subzero Temps, Worse Case Scenario? Don’t Count On It!

By Theodora Filis

Climate experts predicted that this year’s winter season could bring the snowiest, coldest weather in Europe for the past century. They were right! The timing was a bit off though, winter didn’t officially begin until December 21st, but snow and ice have wreaked havoc throughout Europe and North America all month. 

Snowstorms in Europe have caused the death of over 100 people due to the cold weather conditions. The death toll in Poland is now up to 42 people. Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Germany have been hit significantly in the last few days with death tolls rising under cold temperatures as low as -33C:

A cold front continues to sweep across Europe with numerous snowstorms and subzero temperatures being reported in Belgium, Austria, France, Italy, the UK, and other places. In the Austrian province of Styria, 2 people froze to death in -20C temperatures trying to get home. Freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall have left travelers stranded across Europe, causing road closures, long traffic jams, airport closures, and train cancellations.

The arctic blast that plunged Florida into the 20s left residents shivering and plants and citrus trees covered. Meteorologists said it’s the coldest weather Florida has experienced since 1962. Snow and freezing temperatures pounded other parts of the US with 1 ½ feet of snowfall in Minneapolis. Crippling snow and wind made it difficult to impossible for travelers in much of southern Minnesota, western Wisconsin, and parts of the Dakotas. Blizzard-like conditions in Chicago with wind gusts that exceeded 50 mph, and extreme snow and wind have impacted eastern Iowa, eastern Wisconsin, and northern Michigan. 

Dozens of people have been killed and thousands have had to abandon their homes as floods and mudslides ravaged Colombia, Venezuela, Australia, Britain, and the US this month. In the central highlands of Colombia, rainfall was more than double the average of 3.5 inches. Record rains throughout the state of California have caused major damage, prompting evacuations in some areas and shutting down busy freeways. Forecasters predict that this December is likely to become the wettest on record for the region. In less than a week, downtown Los Angeles has already had a third of its average annual rainfall.

Could December’s severe weather be a result of the unprecedented rate at which the polar sea ice is melting? It’s perhaps the most dramatic, startling visual evidence of global warming, and it’s got scientists rushing to figure out just how big of an effect the melting is going to have on the rest of the world.

Average temperatures could increase by as much as 12 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century if emissions continue to rise, a figure that would easily make the world virtually uninhabitable for humans. A global temperature rise of just 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit would cause a catastrophic domino effect, bringing weather extremes that would result in food and water shortages and destructive floods.

The most recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change represents “the final nail in the coffin” of climate change denial, representing the most authoritative picture to date that global warming is caused by human activity. According to the panel, we must make a swift and significant switch to clean, efficient, and renewable energy technologies in order to prevent the worst-case scenario.