January 7, 2025
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More people die in cold weather, especially older people
Rising temperatures may be changing the atmosphere and causing more extreme winter weather, scientists say
A homeless person walks near the U.S. Capitol during a snowstorm in Washington, D.C., January 6, 2025.
Climate Wire | Temperatures dropped across the East Coast on Tuesday after a winter storm dumped heavy snow from the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic, raising the risk of an extreme winter even as the planet warms rapidly. are.
Winter temperatures are rising overall, but some regions of the U.S. are experiencing extreme cold and snow breaks more often, potentially due to atmospheric changes related to global warming, research shows. It has been shown that this may occur.
At the same time, deaths from colds are increasing in the United States.
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Research published in journals last month American Medical Association Journal Researchers found that over the past 20 years, and especially since 2017, there has been an increasing trend in cold-related mortality. The study looked at mortality statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and concluded that older adults are especially vulnerable, and Alaska Native Americans are no different. Indigenous and Black communities.
The study did not examine the reasons for the increase in detail. However, we know that a variety of factors may be at play, including increased homelessness, substance abuse, and social isolation, which may make some people more vulnerable to winter weather. suggested.
Some experts say rising temperatures themselves may be playing a role.
Victor Gensini, a meteorologist at Northern Illinois University who was not involved in the study, said people across the country are adapting to warmer temperatures, including warmer winters. When extreme winter storms arrive, some people may be unprepared.
“When the cold weather comes, it becomes a little more persistent,” he said. “It takes a little bit more time to get used to it.”
The study also suggests that the increasing frequency of extreme winter weather may be part of the story.
Winters are generally getting warmer nationwide. The latest National Climate Assessment, a major report issued by the U.S. government every few years, finds that winters are warming twice as fast in some parts of the country as in others. has been done. But some research suggests winter storms may be getting worse in some regions, such as the Northeast, as the climate warms.
The Arctic is heating faster than the rest of the planet, and rapid warming in the far north could change the flow of the jet stream, allowing cold air masses to blow into mid-latitudes more frequently.
The exact physical mechanism is still a matter of debate among scientists, Gensini said.
“However, we have uncovered some physical links behind how climate warming may actually cause more frequent cold spells in mid-latitude regions,” he added. “There’s definitely literature that suggests that’s plausible.”
Reprinted from E&E News Published with permission of POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2025. E&E News provides news that matters to energy and environment professionals.
