Winters are becoming warmer because of global warming.
However, recent severe winter storms in the United States have led to a closer examination of the relationship between these extremely cold events and climate change.
While there is a clear connection between global warming and heat waves, it is challenging to see the complicated atmospheric dynamics that control winter storms.
Around the Great Lakes region on the Canadian border, a phenomenon known as "lake-effect snow" takes place in the United States.
Buffalo, which is located on the shore of one of the Great Lakes, was severely affected by a deadly snowstorm over the Christmas holiday.
Convection, which results in snowfall, is brought on by the interaction of the warmer water of these lakes with the cold air from the north.
An air mass called the polar vortex is found high in the stratosphere over the North Pole
This belt of air begins to undulate and become more oval as the polar vortex weakens, delivering more frigid air southward.
Physics is important for understanding how climate change is affecting the behavior of the jet stream and is not yet fully captured by climate models.
The mysteries behind these intricate chain reactions will still require further research in the upcoming years.