The Polar Vortex hitting much of the US has wreaked havoc not just on roadways and airports, but also on our electricity systems, as plenty are experiencing first-hand right now. Past performance is no indication of what’s going to be coming at us. We know that climate change is bringing not just overall warming, but also more extremes at both ends. We also know that there are all kinds of ways that climate change affects our ability to keep the lights on.So we need to be ready, or readier, for situations like this. And it turns out that there are a lot of ways we can be. Read more >

Polar Vortex Power Outages: 6 Things to Know about Supply, Demand, and our Electricity Future
February 16, 2021 4:11 PM EDT

Hot Arctic and a Chill in the Northeast: What’s Behind the Gloomy Spring Weather?
May 17, 2019 10:21 AM EDT
When temperatures lurk in the drizzly 40s and 50s well into flower season, northerners get impatient for summer. But when 80-degree temperatures visit the high Arctic, as they just did, and when sleet disrupts Mother’s Day weekend in May in Massachusetts, as it just did, thoughts turn to: What is going on here? Read more >

Winter Storm Jayden, the Polar Vortex, and Climate Change: 3 Factors that Matter
January 29, 2019 11:46 AM EDT
Temperatures are predicted to plummet across the Eastern US as one of the coldest air masses in decades settles into these regions. So zip up and cinch your scarves. Stay safe. And remember that despite this bitter chill, the planet is still heating up. Read more >

The Polar Vortex, Winter Storm Grayson, and Climate Change: What’s the Connection?
January 3, 2018 4:50 PM EDT
Forecasters are trotting out “polar vortex” and atypical terms like “Nor’easter bomb” and “bombogenesis.” These words signal the unusual and dangerous conditions forecast for winter storm Grayson and their implications for the Southeast US, Mid-Atlantic, and eventually New England and beyond. What do they mean? Read more >
El Niño vs. the Arctic: Which Will Dominate This Year’s Winter Weather?
December 21, 2015 2:51 PM EDT
This past week, the American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2015 annual meeting was abuzz with discussion of El Niño 3.4 and the Arctic Oscillation. No wonder. These indicators are clues to how major competing factors may play out this winter in the northern hemisphere. Read more >