14 DAY TRIAL // As the United States struggle to withstand the extremely low temperatures brought on by the cold snap, global warming skeptics are using this weather patterns to argue that climate change is not taking place. The harsh reality is that the cold weather may in fact be a consequence of global warming.
One of the first things to remember is that global warming does not imply only the fact that temperatures around the world will rise. The phenomenon has a host of consequences, including an increased frequency of hurricanes, massive storms, cold weather, droughts, and even earthquakes.
Some studies suggest that if extreme warming affects the Arctic, the polar vortex atmospheric patterns that is causing cold snaps may be boosted, and produce even lower temperatures. Climate experts say that the current polar vortex cannot be associated with global warming directly. However, its actions and development patterns are consistent with theoretical predictions of global warming in action.
Whether or not warming in the Arctic is responsible for the current cold snap has not been determined with accuracy yet. It could be that warm air currents from the south destabilized the jet stream circulation in late autumn, leading to this weather, Nature reports.