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Why do we see so much extreme winter weather even as the climate warms? Veteran climate scientist Judah Cohen describes one theory explaining the connection between changes in the jetstream, polar vortex events, and climate change. These bring blizzards, cold temperatures, and record-breaking snowfall to places that are expected to be warming. Examples are the Texas deep freeze in 2021 and in 2022, the extreme snow in Virginia which stranded drivers on I95 for over 24 hours. Watch to find out how global warming could be the cause of major weather shifts that actually increase snowfall events.

In 2015, Boston was brought to its knees by the worst winter on record, receiving an unprecedented 110 inches of snow. And over the last decade, the American Northeast has seen more than a 200% increase in the frequency of large, disruptive snowstorms. This trend surprised nearly everybody, including many of the top experts, as they had been expecting a warming planet to translate into milder winters. But in many locations, we have seen just the opposite. So what’s going on here?

We traveled to Boston to search for answers about these surprising effects of climate change and their connection to the jet stream, the polar vortex, and a phenomenon known as “arctic amplification.” We also discuss some of the most common risks like hypothermia, frostbite, heart attacks, and traffic accidents that make winter weather, far and away, the deadliest natural hazard of them all.

Weathered is a show hosted by meteorologist Maiya May and produced by Balance Media that helps explain the most common natural disasters, what causes them, how they’re changing, and what we can do to prepare.

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