Researchers determine worst spots for extreme weather

Following the recent trend of trying to explain climate change and discover ways to curb its effects, a new study has tied events of extreme weather to winds that swirl high above the Earth.

According to USA Today, the scientists behind the study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, linked jet streams in the upper atmosphere to weather events such as droughts in the western U.S. and nor’easter snow storms in the east. Extreme weather has been one result of a warming climate of particular interest in the science community.

“Over the past three decades, there is evidence that extreme weather events are linked to changes in atmospheric air flow patterns – specifically these wave patterns and how well developed they are,” said study lead author James Screen of the University of Exeter in the U.K, in the press release.

Whether it’s because of natural climate variations or global warming, changes to air flow patterns around the Northern Hemisphere – including the jet stream – are a major influence on prolonged bouts of unusual weather, Screen added according to The Leaf Chronicle.

Scientists noted that the ‘weather extremes’ in this context don’t include severe weather like tornadoes, thunderstorms, or tropical weather like hurricanes.

“Although we don’t examine trends directly, the implication of our study is that if climate change was to make these wave patterns more frequent, this could lead to more heat waves in the western U.S., droughts in the central U.S. and cold outbreaks in the eastern U.S.,” Screen said.

Agencies/Canadajournal