Environment

A Huge Snowstorm Lashes Texas

There has been a massive snowfall in the state of Texas in the United States: an unusual event that could be related to climate change, which former President Donald Trump flatly denied

By María Barahona Malvar

February 25th, 2021

 Texas after the huge storm

This great snowfall in Texas has been caused by a snowstorm, which as we know is very unfamiliar. The causes of this storm are related to climate change. This cold wave in Texas has been caused by a shift in the polar vortex. To put it in a very crude way: the air of the polar zones of our planet is usually confined in that region, with more force if possible in winter. By this time of year it often begins to be less stable and that vortex moves with the air it contains, in the case of the Northern Hemisphere, towards areas further south. We know that climate change is making it easier for clouds to move

further south. That is why cold air can go into regions as little used to it as Texas.

All this is related to the fact that the temperature of the polar zones has increased twice as fast as that of the rest of the planet, making the jet stream–a stream of air that helps separate this mass of polar air from the rest–appear much more windy as there is not as much temperature contrast between the pole and our latitudes.

This snowfall has created numerous problems as Texas has been left without water and electricity. So far this season has luckily only caused 24 deaths.

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