Climate change will make snowfall worse in some areas of the United States.

Question

"Experts predict climate change could actually make snow worse in some areas of the U.S. Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of the U.S. is seeing less snowfall than in the 1970s."

Answer 1

Multiple credible sources support the claim that climate change will make snowfall worse in some areas. This claim is backed by a National Geographic article that discusses how a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, which eventually falls as precipitation. Global warming has caused the global average temperature to rise by about 0.8ºC in the last century, leading to an increase in precipitation and more frequent and intense storms. Even though global warming is leading to shorter and warmer winters overall, blizzards and large storms are more likely to occur and can be more severe. Additionally, climate change is affecting the polar jet stream which can account for extreme weather in southern latitudes. The polar jet stream is “a band of strong winds encircling the globe and blowing west to east” (New York Times) which acts as a barrier where warm and cold air try to mix. It shifts slightly throughout the year, but changing temperatures can cause the jet stream to “wobble” and expand its path. This means cold air can travel much further south and cause extreme winter storms in places that don’t usually get them. While researchers say it is difficult to claim that specific winter storms were caused by climate change, we see many general trends showing how warming temperatures are changing weather patterns, specifically bringing intense blizzards and cold storms to certain areas in the US where they are not regular. So, climate change is tied to worsening snowfall in some areas of the United States.  

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/maybe-its-cold-outside/

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/21/climate/why-is-the-south-so-cold-right-now.html

https://climate.mit.edu/explainers/polar-jet-stream-and-polar-vortex#:~:text=The%20polar%20jet%20stream%20and%20polar%20vortex%20are%20two%20rings,the%20warmer%20mid%2Dlatitude%20regions.

Answer 2

Hello! I found the video associated with this claim (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLTY5DbSEj8), and they --  an expert meteorologist and a news anchor --  discussed about how some people believe that the fact we have snow is reason enough to believe that climate change isn't real. After all, parts of Lake Erie were 60% warmer. However, a warmer atmosphere can hold more water, like how a warm cup of tea can hold more sugar than a cup of iced tea. Therefore, the cold air flowing above these warmer bodies of water can cause weird climate changes because climate change is not just global warming but also global weird weather patterns. Thus, I believe this claim to be true.

Comments

I agree with your analysis, I think it was smart to point out that having more snow is not an indication for climate change being real, and the reasoning behind it as that is a large aspect of the arguments of people denying climate change.

Answer 3

This is true that climate change can make snow worse in certain areas. According to the Environmental Defense Fund this is due to "Overall, a warming atmosphere means more evaporation from both land and sea, so there’s more moisture in the air" and "In areas that do get precipitation, they get more of it: more rain (and flooding) when temps are above freezing, and when temperatures (less frequently) drop below freezing, there’s a greater chance of snowstorms that break records." So overall, although the average amount of snow is decreasing in the united states, some places are getting more snow then ever due to climate change. 

https://www.edf.org/warming-world-why-so-much-snow 

Comments

This is a strong fact check, you used a reputable government source increasing the credibility of your fact check.

Answer 4

I’ve seen reports from credible sources that rising global temperatures can lead to more intense snowfall in certain places. This might sound confusing, but it happens because warmer air can hold more moisture, which can then fall as heavier snow when conditions are right. The original claim mentioned that some parts of the U.S. could see worse snowfall even though overall snowfall has decreased since the 1970s. According to this CBS News segment (https://www.cbsnews.com/video/how-climate-change-make-snowfall-worse-parts-us/, certain regions that are particularly around large bodies of water can experience “lake-effect” snowfall that becomes more intense as those bodies of water stay warmer. This doesn’t mean everywhere will get more snow. In fact, many parts of the U.S. are seeing less snowfall over time. But the changes in climate can shift where and when intense storms show up, creating these strange patterns that might look like worse snow in some areas.

Answer 5

Based on my research, this is true. According to Smart Growth America, "Climate change’s disruptions of local weather patterns in the winter can result in heavy snowfall and bitter cold snaps in many areas of the U.S." This article also states that in some parts of the US, temperatures will be warmer. Because of climate change, weather patterns are predicted to become more intense, for example more intense snowstorms in parts of the US. So the effects of climate change all depend on where you live. 

https://smartgrowthamerica.org/global-warming-and-worsening-winters/#:~:text=Climate%20change's%20disruptions%20of%20local,related%20deaths%20in%20the%20U.S.

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/maybe-its-cold-outside/

Answer 6

This is true that some areas have seen an increase in snowfall due to climate change. This is backed by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA also mentions the same thing that the CBS video talked about, the warmer lakes causing more snow.

https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-snowfall

Answer 7

I have seen several reports which agree with this statement. The general consensus is that increasing average global temperatures lead to higher rates of evaporation, putting more water into the atmosphere which will later fall as rain or snow. While average global temperatures are on an upward trend, meaning some regions that previously got snow will now get rain, many regions of the US still get below freezing during the winter. Due to the aforementioned increase in water in the atmosphere, these regions will receive abnormally heavy snowfall whenever it snows. Thus, I find this claim to be true.

Sources: https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-snowfall, https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/25/weather/snowfall-temperatures-climate-change-water/index.html

Answer 8

Yes! Climate change refers to the overall change of our climate (WOW), but no, the changes in climate can correlatively cause certain regions to experience more extreme weather effects. It was found that higher humidity causes stronger adverse winter storms, this includes areas in the northern Hemisphere that are extratropical(Williams and Gorman 2022). While temperatures may not drop as low as they previous have been, slight increases in temperature increases humidity which allows for stronger winds (Williams and Gorman 2022). What the original news reporter said, is rather true, but the analogy of hot tea vs cold tea is a bit exaggerated as there is not that large of a difference in climate change.

Williams, Andrew I. L., and Paul A. O’Gorman. “Summer-Winter Contrast in the Response of Precipitation Extremes to Climate Change Over Northern Hemisphere Land.” Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 49, no. 10, 2022, p. e2021GL096531. Wiley Online Library, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL096531.

Answer 9

Climate change can have more effects than just an increase in temperature. It is also linked with more erratic weather conditions and patterns, which includes snowfall. The United States Environmental Protection Agency found that with the increasing temperatures leading to more evaporation, certain regions where temperatures rise but remain below freezing point may experience more snowfall. Areas near large lakes may be impacted, too.

Answer 10

This claim is true. There is a common misconception that climate change only causes a rise in temperatures which is sometimes perceived as "no snow". Though climate change does cause a rise in the global temperature, it also makes weather events more extreme or unpredictable. In some cases it reverses the weather, so warm and dry places may experience record breaking snow or rain (https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/weather-climate) (https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-snowfall).