Is Global Warming Causing Severe Cold in America?

The central regions of the United States, known as the Midwest, have recently faced severe polar cold, to the extent that for the first time in the region's history, mail carriers were unable to deliver mail, and people were warned to avoid deep breaths in this weather. The National Weather Service has reported that the wind chill in Chicago is expected to feel like minus 46 degrees Celsius on Tuesday evening, and in Wisconsin, 60 centimeters of snow is predicted. The temperature in Chicago on Wednesday was 10 degrees colder than Antarctica. In response to these weather conditions, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, tweeted: 'In the beautiful Midwest, wind chill temperatures are reaching 60 degrees [Fahrenheit], the coldest recorded temperatures. It is going to get even colder in the coming days. People cannot survive outside for even a minute. Oh global warming, what is this? Please come back soon, we need you!' In reaction to this statement, scientists and most major media outlets in America explain that weather is different from climate. The fact that today's or this week's weather in a region is colder or warmer than usual does not mean that the climate of the region has become warmer or colder. To observe climatic conditions, the average and trend of recorded temperatures over all years are compared, and their trajectory is considered in a chart. These observations, according to the majority of scientists, indicate the overall warming of the Earth. Most meteorologists also see traces of global warming in this severe cold in the Midwest. According to them, the severe cold currently affecting the Midwest is due to the 'buckling' of the polar vortex and its intrusion into lower latitudes than usual. The polar vortex is a mass of cold air that is trapped due to the presence of a wind belt known as the 'jet stream' in the Arctic region. The jet stream is a band of strong winds at high altitudes in the atmosphere around the Arctic and Antarctic. This stream, like a rapidly rotating ring, keeps polar cold air confined to those areas and prevents the cold (polar vortex) from spreading to lower latitudes. The jet stream (the arrowed band in the image), which usually had a regular movement, has become chaotic in recent years. According to Reuters, scientists say that global warming is causing the Arctic ice to melt faster, which likely has changed the path of the jet stream and reduced its speed. Scientists say that this change in path and speed is what has led to the 'buckling' of the polar vortex and its 'spilling' into the northern United States. New images from NASA show that the polar vortex has split and has spread to a more southern area. The United States faced the same phenomenon and polar winter last year, and the President of the United States also reacted similarly to it. Jennifer Francis, a senior scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center, told The Guardian that the impact of global warming on the frequency of the polar vortex's intrusion into lower latitudes is still under investigation, but scientists' belief in this impact is increasing.