Harsh winter weather linked to global climate change, according to scientists

A panel of scientists Tuesday argued that global warming has exacerbated the intensity of winter storms

Published March 2, 2011 3:48PM (EST)

Heavy snow is blown by high winds along Highway 13 near Burnsville, Minn. Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011. Heavy snow and high winds  southern Minnesota caused scores of accidents, grounded hundreds of flights and forced some businesses to close early.  (AP Photo/The Star Tribune, Brian Peterson)  MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES TV OUT (AP)
Heavy snow is blown by high winds along Highway 13 near Burnsville, Minn. Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011. Heavy snow and high winds southern Minnesota caused scores of accidents, grounded hundreds of flights and forced some businesses to close early. (AP Photo/The Star Tribune, Brian Peterson) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES TV OUT (AP)

This winter has seen a surfeit of heavy snowfall and harsh winter storms, drawing the conclusion in some corners that concern about climate change is overstated. However, extreme weather of the sort battering America this season is actually a predictable result of global warming, according to a panel of scientists in Washington. The climatologists argued on Tuesday that excess moisture is absorbed into the atmosphere when ocean water evaporates in warmer weather. This, in turn, causes more intense storms.


Read more about Tuesday's climate panel at Reuters

 


By Peter Finocchiaro

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Global Warming Science