Even now, at the very beginning of 2024, we’re experiencing lots of snow and icy conditions. Just two weeks ago, CNN wrote about why we still have extremely cold weather when the planet warms to record levels. One positive aspect of this worrisome trend is that this kind of weather can sometimes create some beautiful scenes out in nature and in our cities. That’s why we’re continuing our yearly trend of presenting you with lists of beautiful and sometimes chuckle-worthy pictures of winter doing its thing. Bored Panda reached out to Energy Meteorologist Andrew Markowitz. He’s a science communicator on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter (X) who talks about all things weather. He makes informative but entertaining videos explaining things like the Polar Vortex and El Niño, and he presents his viewers with fascinating bite-sized weather facts. We talked with Andrew about extreme winters, how climate change is affecting the seasons, and how he became a meteorologist. More info: Andrew Markowitz on TikTok | Instagram | Twitter (X) That’s the day when astronomical winter begins. Meteorological winter starts on the 1st of December, and people living in the Northern Hemisphere have already seen their fair share of crazy winter weather. Sweden reported their lowest temperature in decades, at a whopping -48F on January 5th. The U.S. reported freezing temperatures of -30F from the northern Rockies, northern Kansas, and Iowa. Much of what we see in these pictures can be the product of extreme weather. What exactly is an extreme winter? Andrew says that it all depends on the location. The best way to determine this, the meteorologist says, would be by calculating averages. “If your temperatures are much colder than average (more than 5 degrees or so) or you get much more snowfall than normal, then that would qualify as an extreme winter. Sometimes, this can be localized or other times more widespread.” “Faster warming in the Arctic generally leads to warming temperatures worldwide, but [it] also can disrupt the jet stream, which would support continued extreme cold ‘Polar Vortex’ events. Winters will likely be milder, but extreme cold snaps will still happen,” Andrew adds. Follow Bored Panda on Google News! Follow us on Flipboard.com/@boredpanda! Please use high-res photos without watermarks Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
