This winter hit Falls Church City with a force not seen in years. Marked by snow-covered streets, icy sidewalks, and bitterly cold winds, temperatures are only plummeting– which has sparked confusion. If global warming is heating up the planet, why has it become so cold?
Logically, if the Earth is warming, shouldn’t winter be getting warmer too? It seems like common sense, but the reality is much more complicated. In fact, global warming is one of the reasons we’re experiencing such extreme colds. While the planet warms, it can lead to extreme and erratic weather, including abnormally cold winters.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, rising global temperatures are disrupting weather systems, including the polar vortex, leading to more frequent and intense winter storms.
These shifts can send cold air southward, resulting in record-breaking temperatures and heavy snowfall in some regions, including ours.
Additionally, the American Meteorological Society states that climate change is intensifying weather patterns, making winter storms stronger and more unpredictable.
“So, it’s snowing now, and it’s gonna be 60 degrees on Sunday…that just makes no sense,” junior Adeline Ziegler said.
Not everyone is convinced, though.
“Climate change definitely is real, but there’s no way that global warming is real because it’s just so cold outside,” senior Alex Fulgham said.
Additionally, many students are confused.
“I don’t think that global warming makes sense… the weather doesn’t make any sense,” junior Alex Kroboth said.
A single cold winter doesn’t disprove global warming. In fact, it highlights just how much climate change is disrupting normal weather patterns. Unless we take action to reduce carbon emissions, extreme weather, whether this means heat waves or deep freezes, will become even more common.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has reported that climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather events, including both heat waves and severe winter storms.
“People who don’t believe in climate change will probably feel justified in their argument now because it’s not like it’s getting warmer,” senior Abigail Berg said.
Unpredictable winters like this one serve as a reminder that understanding the science is crucial, as we see the impacts of global warming more clearly every day. Taking action to slow it down has become more important than ever.
“Part of the reason why caring about the world and the environment is so important is because this is where we live, where we’re gonna continue to live, and where our future generations will live,” senior Cil Smith said. “We need to care.”
