Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

 

Blizzard Conditions in the US Northeast, a Reminder of Climate Change

December 29, 2022 

Blizzard Conditions in the US Northeast map, December 25, 2022	Snow blanket in a Buffalo, NY neighborhood, December 25, 2022

A man clearing snow in front of his NY home, December 25, 2022	A couple walking during the blizzard snow storm in NY, December 25, 2022

Blizzard Conditions in the U.S. Northeast

NASA, December 28, 2022

A powerful Arctic cold front battered the Midwest and eastern U.S. in late-December 2022. The storm brought blizzard conditions to some areas, life-threatening cold to others, and daunting amounts of lake-effect snow. As winds howled and snow piled up from what some forecasters called a “once-in-a-generation” storm, so did the traffic accidents, power outages, and transportation woes.

These images show the snow- and cloud-covered northeastern states as observed on December 25, 2022, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. Cloud streets over Lake Michigan hint at the powerful winds that accompanied the deadly storm. Gusts surged as high as 79 miles (127 kilometers) per hour in Lackawanna, New York. In several other states, winds topped 50 miles per hour, according to data from the National Weather Service.

The bands of clouds streaming off the lakes, which form when cold air passes over open water, can produce lake-effect snow. While snowfall totals generally stayed below 5 inches (13 centimeters) in most areas touched by the storm, lake-effect snow caused totals to surge above 50 inches in communities east of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie in upstate New York—including Buffalo. In these areas, early winter storms are known for producing huge amounts of snow because the lakes often have not frozen over yet.

The first image is natural color, while the second uses a combination of visible and shortwave infrared light (bands 7-2-1) to distinguish clouds (white) from snow and ice (blue). The ripple pattern in the clouds was likely caused by the presence of wave clouds. Wave clouds typically form when air gets forced upward by hills and mountains, in this case, the Appalachians. When gravity causes the air to fall back down, it begins to oscillate, creating the waves. Clouds generally form on the cool crests of waves when there is enough moisture in the air.

NASA Earth Observatory images by Joshua Stevens, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Adam Voiland.

Extreme Winter Weather in North America

Winter storms can bring heavy snow and freezing temperatures, though global warming also means there can be more potent rainstorms and heat waves as well.

References & Resources

AccuWeather (2022, December 23) Death toll rises in wake of Buffalo blizzard, unrelenting bomb cyclone. Accessed December 27, 2022.

Associated Press (2022, December 27) Winter weather upends water systems across the Deep South. Accessed December 27, 2022.

The Buffalo News (2022, December 27) Complete coverage: WNY continues to dig out following blizzard . Accessed December 27, 2022.

NASA Earth Science Data Systems (ESDS) Snow/Ice. Accessed December 27, 2022.

National Weather Service Buffalo (2022, December 27) 4 Day Storm Snowfall Reports. Accessed December 27, 2022.

National Weather Service Chicago (2022) December 22-23, 2022: Powerful Arctic Front Brings Snow, Strong Winds, and Bitterly Cold Temperatures to the Region. Accessed December 27, 2022.

The Washington Post (2022, December 23) How the size and depth of the Great Lakes affect how much snow falls. Accessed December 27, 2022.

USA Today (2022, December 27) Fierce winter storm still taking a toll: 28 dead; thousands without power; flight cancellations mount. Accessed December 27, 2022.

Blizzard Conditions in the U.S. Northeast (nasa.gov)

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Storm turns 'wickedly bad': 47,000 without power in Buffalo Niagara; winds as high as 79 mph

Stephen T. Watson , Dan Herbeck , Maki Becker 

Dec 23, 2022 Updated Dec 24, 2022 

Wind gusts as high as 79 mph on Friday in Western New York knocked out power for thousands of people and created whiteout conditions in many areas.

James J. O’Callaghan, regional spokesman for the State Police, spent several hours at the Buffalo Niagara Airport on Friday morning and described weather conditions there as some of the worst he’s ever seen in 18 years as a trooper.

“This storm is going to be a rough one. Driving is extremely treacherous, and it’s getting worse,” O’Callaghan said. “I was sitting in my car outside the airport, and the wind was rocking my car from side to side. It was like people were rocking my car. Crazy.”

Noting widespread driving bans in Western New York, the trooper implored motorists to stay off the roads.

Erie County officials early Friday outlined preparations for the Christmastime storm that already has started to hammer the region, leaving nearly 47,000 without power across Western New York as of 3:30 p.m. However, New York State Electric & Gas reported its website had crashed early Friday afternoon because of heavy traffic to the site.

Travel bans were in effect in Erie County, Niagara Falls and New York State as a whole by early afternoon Friday, while many area highways had closed to non-essential traffic, as well as the Peace Bridge.

Noting widespread driving bans in Western New York, the state police's O’Callaghan implored motorists to stay off the roads.

“If you’re driving, and you cannot see where you’re going, if you go off the road, first responders are going to have a very hard time finding you,” O’Callaghan said. “It’s a very dangerous situation. Your car could be stuck 15 or 20 feet off the road and we may not be able to find you.

“When you’re outside, it’s very difficult to see because of all the blowing snow. It’s pelting you in the face, like little pins and needles. It hurts your face and it’s very hard to see. Even when you try to walk, the 50, 60 or 70 miles per hour winds knock you off your balance.”

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz called the conditions "wickedly bad" shortly after noon, and later tweeted that the county had taken its trucks off the road due to "zero visibility."

The National Weather Service reported wind gusts of 79 mph in Lackawanna and 72 mph at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The Weather Service also reported "zero visibility" at the airport shortly after noon Friday.

The snow is severely limiting visibility when combined with gusting wind.

Public Works Commissioner William Geary Jr. said, and utility crews will be limited at times in their response because of the anticipated blizzard-force winds. By early afternoon, more than 28,000 households in Erie County had lost power.

But with visibility down to zero, even plow crews had to be pulled from the roads by midday because visibility was down to zero.

"Crews trying to get out to react to that to energize or fix those lines are probably not going to be able to until we get below 40 miles per hour on the winds, which may not be until Sunday morning," Geary said. "So this is gonna be a long event. Hopefully everybody stocked up during the week."

Poloncarz said Erie County has activated a phone number, 716-858-SNOW, for people to call with serious, non-life-threatening medical issues, such as needing access to dialysis or cancer treatment. Anyone with an emergency or life-threatening situation should call 911.

He also repeated concerns about flooding along the shoreline in Evans, Hamburg, Buffalo and along the Niagara River up to Niagara Falls.

"I saw that the prediction was that it will be 4 feet above flood stage in the Buffalo downtown area," Poloncarz said. "That's a significant amount of water."

Storm turns 'wickedly bad': 47,000 without power in Buffalo Niagara; winds as high as 79 mph (buffalonews.com)

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Fierce winter storm still taking a toll: 28 dead; thousands without power; flight cancellations mount. Live updates.

Joel ShannonWyatte Grantham-PhilipsMarina Pitofsky

USA TODAY, December 26, 2022

A mammoth winter storm that buried some areas in heavy snow and saw dangerous cold temperatures across much of the nation continued to wreak havoc on Christmas Day Sunday. 

The storm has left at least 28 people dead, knocked out power to several hundred thousands of homes and businesses, canceled thousands of flights and led to at least one boil-water advisory. 

About 60% of the U.S. had been under a winter weather advisory or warning from the system, which has been called a "once in a generation" storm by forecasters and has stretched from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande on the Mexico border.

More than 1,700 domestic and international flights were canceled as of Sunday morning, according to the tracking site FlightAware.

There is some relief in sight: a winter warm up later this week, forecasters said – even in Buffalo, which has endured brutal conditions with hurricane-force winds and snow that has triggered whiteouts and paralyzed emergency response efforts. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Saturday that almost every firetruck in the city was stranded.

The National Weather Service said the snow total at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport stood at 43 inches Sunday. At least seven people have died in the area, some in their homes when responders couldn't reach them, officials said.

In Ohio, about 50 vehicles were involved in a pileup that killed at least four. An 82-year-old woman was found dead outside of her assisted care facility in Michigan on Friday. 

The system intensified Friday into a bomb cyclone, a weather phenomenon known for its powerful winds, heavy blizzards and subzero temperatures that are created through a process known as bombogenesis.   

'A welcome change': Warmer temperatures expected later this week

Tom Kines, a senior meteorologist at Accuweather, told USA TODAY that the snow band that hit Buffalo is pushing south of the city. Residents in the area, and swaths of the country, can expect warmer weather in the coming days. 

"In general, the weather in Buffalo, and not only in Buffalo but across a large portion of the country, the trend is going to be for warmer weather for the upcoming week. In fact, Buffalo could easily get up in the 40s at some point during the second half of the week," Kines said. 

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He said residents of Chicago, Detroit, New York City, Washington D.C. and even Florida have seen "unusually cold" temperatures, but "they’re also going to get much warmer."

“It’ll be a welcome change coming up, the second half of the week,” Kines said.  

Family braves storm to seek shelter  

Ditjak Ilunga, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, was traveling with his daughters to visit family in Hamilton, Ontario, on Friday. The family’s SUV became trapped in Buffalo, and they spent hours in the car nearly buried in snow as wind whipped outside.  

At 4 a.m. on Saturday, the family decided to try to reach a nearby shelter. Ilunga carried his 6-year-old daughter on his back, while his 16-year-old daughter carried their Pomeranian puppy. Ilunga said he cried when they finally reached the shelter. 

“If I stay in this car I’m going to die here with my kids,” he told the Associated Press he was thinking at the time. “It’s something I will never forget in my life." 

Jackson, Mississippi residents must boil drinking water after lines burst

City officials announced on Christmas Day that residents of the Mississippi capital must boil their drinking water after water lines burst in cold temperatures. 

“Please check your businesses and churches for leaks and broken pipes, as these add up tremendously and only worsen the problem,” the city said in a statement. Officials also confirmed that crews were actively working to make repairs, though they did not confirm how long residents should expect to boil their drinking water. 

Some residents also reported low or no water pressure. Neighborhoods in the Mississippi city saw fluctuating water pressure on Saturday, with officials saying they believed the pressure drop was caused by leaks and water line breaks. 

City spokesperson Melissa Payne said frigid temperatures were contributing to the breaks.  

The disruption comes after the city lost water in late August, and ten of thousands of residents did not have running water during a 2021 cold snap. 

Migrants bused to vice president’s residence on freezing Christmas Eve 

A group of migrants was dropped off at Vice President Kamala Harris’ home in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night, when temperatures were below freezing.  

The migrants were taken to local churches. Some of the migrants were seen without winter clothes, including some who were wearing T-shirts in on the frigid Christmas Eve.

The Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network, which has been helping receive migrants in the nation's capital since the spring, said it was prepared for the arrivals on Saturday, CNN reported. 

The buses were carrying 110 to 130 people, according to  Tatiana Laborde, managing director of SAMU First Response, which has also served migrants in the city. 

The move is not the first time a group of migrants has been transported to cities across the U.S. Multiple Republican governors have orchestrated the rides. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent two buses of Central and South American asylum seekers to the vice president’s Washington residence earlier this year.  

Texas authorities have not responded to USA TODAY's request for comment. 

White House spokesperson Abdullah Hasan in a statement to USA TODAY called the incident a "cruel, dangerous and shameful stunt." 

“As we have repeatedly said, we are willing to work with anyone – Republican or Democrat alike – on real solutions, like the comprehensive immigration reform and border security measures President Biden sent to Congress on his first day in office, but these political games accomplish nothing and only put lives in danger,” Hasan said.

Blizzard keeps going in Great Lakes, hard-hit Buffalo

Forecasters said snow would keep falling around the Great Lakes – up to 3 more feet through Monday in some areas of western New York.

High winds, freezing temperatures and heavy snow have been plaguing the region for days, leading to whiteout conditions.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul described the snowstorm hitting western parts of the state as "one of the worst in history" at a press briefing Saturday morning.

A combination of snow, bitter cold and power outages prompted some Buffalo residents to leave their homes to seek heat. Hochul said the Buffalo Niagara International Airport will be closed through Monday morning. 

What is wind chill?

Many of the temperatures with the winter storm were made more brutal by the wind chill factor. Meteorologists define wind chill as how cold it feels while outdoors, and it’s based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by the wind-and-cold combination, according to the National Weather Service. Increased wind draws heat from the body, which then lowers the temperature of the skin and internal body.

“Frostbite may develop on exposed skin in as few as 10-20 mins, and hypothermia can quickly develop if you're not dressed for the cold,” weather service experts in Chicago warned Thursday.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Winter storm live updates: Millions enduring an arctic Christmas (usatoday.com)

***

Tempted to joke about global warming amid a blizzard? Here's what experts say about that

by Elizabeth Weise

USA Today, December 14, 2022

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Winter storms are pummeling the United States, snow is piling up, temperatures are dropping, traffic is snarling and there's always the threat of thunderstorms and thundersnow.

Just like clockwork, the emails, tweets and Facebook posts start flowing. Maybe it's a joke, maybe it's a snarky critique, maybe it's a meme. The words change, but the format is familiar: If global warming is real, why is it so cold out?

Scientists likely don't think that joke is as funny as another familiar climate change quip: Never argue about climate change—it always turns into a heated debate.

But we asked experts to weigh in on the winter weather trope. Here's a few thoughts on what winter means in an era of global warming.

Cold winters don't mean there's no global warming

Atmospheric science professor Dan Chavas at Purdue University in Indiana says these arguments don't frustrate him because they're a chance to engage.

"I think most of the time when people say that, they are joking and do not seriously believe that the occurrence of winter disproves climate change," he said. "For me personally as a scientist, I see that type of comment as a potential opportunity to talk about climate, the seasons, and climate change if they seem interested."

He starts that conversation by agreeing that climate has always had seasons, but notes climate change is a gradual warming—on top of the seasons—that's making winters, springs, summers and falls all warmer over time.

Higher temperatures don't mean it's hotter everywhere all the time

Global temperatures have risen 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit since 1880. That doesn't mean it's hotter everywhere all at once but that the entire system is becoming more volatile.

"As you add energy to the system, both extremes grow. You can have Texas ice storms as well as 33 million people displaced in Pakistan due to heat and flooding," said Julio Friedmann, chief scientist at Carbon Direct, a carbon-management firm and a former professor at Columbia University. "These sorts of changes were predicted in 1996, it's not news that this is happening."

That said, winters are indeed getting warmer.

Since 1896, average winter temperatures across the lower 48 states have increased by nearly 3 degrees, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Nationally, 57% of US Weather Service stations have shown a decline in snowfall since the 1930s.

Winter weather is now on average 14-and-a-half days shorter and summers are seven and a half days longer, according to Brian Brettschneider, a climate scientist with the University of Alaska at Fairbanks

"Global warming will not stop the seasons, but it is causing long-term trends in winter conditions that are robust and accelerating," said Jason Smerdon, a climate physicist at Columbia University.

The odds are shifting to hotter extremes

But climate change is never all one thing or another. Rather it is a shift in the odds of occurrences of extremes, said Gerald Meehl, a senior scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Over the U.S. during the past decade, it is twice as likely that a daily record high maximum temperature occurred at a given location compared to a daily record low minimum, he said.

"For every two daily record high maximums that are set, there is only one daily record low minimum. This is climate change happening before our eyes," he said. "If the climate wasn't warming, there would be an equal chance of a daily record high temperature being set compared to a daily record low minimum."

Over the rest of this century, the number of extreme heat events will rise, even though there are a few extreme cold events.

"I've said that the scientist sitting at my desk in the year 2100 will get a phone call on a cold day in January 2100 when a daily record low minimum temperature is set in Denver," he said.

That caller will want to know what happened to global warming because a record cold temperature has just been recorded.

"That scientist in my seat will answer that yes, it was cold on that one day," he said. "But think back to the previous summer when nearly every day set a daily record high maximum temperature.

Tempted to joke about global warming amid the freezing cold? Here's what experts say about that.