New Climate Study: Arctic Heat Fueled Deadly February Texas Freeze
"The results highlight another reason to rapidly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving global warming and at the same time the need to develop better strategies for managing extreme weather."
New research published Friday suggests that melting Arctic sea ice caused by global heating may be responsible for the deadly deep freeze that devastated much of North America and plunged millions of Texans into darkness in February.
"Large changes in the Arctic are not just a local concern—they also have wide-ranging impacts across North America and parts of Asia."
—Judah Cohen and Mathew Barlow, study researchers
While climate researchers have previously connected the phenomena of polar heating and mid-latitute freezes, a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Science is the first to link Arctic warming and February's cold snap. Authorities said the four-day extreme weather event—which left millions of residents trapped in sub-freezing darkness as Texas' largely independent power grid failed. State officials said the freezing temperatures killed more than 150 people in Texas, though others estimate the true death toll was likely much higher.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/09/03/new-climate-study-arctic-heat-fueled-deadly-february-texas-freeze