[Photos: The 8 Coldest Places on Earth]. Why was the death rate from COVID-19 in the U.S. so much higher than Canada's in the early days of the pandemic? In warmer seasons, the same weather pattern would likely cause rain and thunderstorms. It's unclear whether climate change is a factor behind the freezing weather, as it's difficult to link any individual weather event to climate change, said Matthew Rosencrans, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. (Image: © National Weather Service, Facebook screenshot). It then meandered south to the central and eastern part of the continent. In the future, climate change may lead to more extreme weather conditions, such as this frigid winter, he added. Tropical system possible later this week, eyes northern Gulf. Whitehorse was warmer than Toronto on Tuesday.

In Waskaganish, a Cree community on the southeast shore of James Bay, it got as cold as –45.2 C and in the Far North, residents of La Grande Rivière saw the thermometer hit –48.2 C. Meanwhile, more than 1,600 U.S. daily records for cold were tied or broken in the last week of December, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. There was a problem. What makes the polar vortex move is an area of hot debate and research among scientists and probably is a mix of human-caused climate change and natural variability, said Jason Furtado, a University of Oklahoma meteorology professor.

Pretty much. "This is not record-breaking for [northern] Canada or Alaska or northern Siberia, it's just misplaced," said Cohen, who had forecast a colder than normal winter for much of the U.S. Why Are There So Many Fires in California? A wind chill advisory is also in effect for these places, the NWS said. They've had four significant snowstorms since Thanksgiving, amounting to 96.3 inches (245 centimeters) of snow accumulation at Logan Airport, according to the NWS. The storm system will continue to repeat until another storm or weather system changes it, he added.

The globe as a whole was 0.5 C (0.9 degrees F) warmer than normal Tuesday and the Arctic was more than 3.4 C (6 degrees F) warmer than normal, according to the University of Maine Climate Change Institute's analysis .

Receive news and offers from our other brands? "That's usually good for a foot [0.3 meters] or so of snow.". At least, in theory. [Weirdo Weather: 7 Rare Meteorological Events], "Boston is now in the top two or three snowiest winters," said David Roth, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. So why is it so cold? By Laura Geggel 19 February 2015. From Feb. 24 to Feb. 28 the NWS has predicted that the eastern half of the country will have below-normal temperatures, and the West Coast will have above-normal temperatures.

That's because the Arctic's deeply frigid weather escaped its regular atmospheric jail, which traps the worst cold. But the days are getting longer as winter nears its end.

That allows that jet stream to meander more, and allows the polar vortex to break off more often, and we see these deep freezes.".

Many New Englanders are looking forward to a break from the snow. You will receive a verification email shortly. "That's just silly. spontaneously turns into snow when thrown, increasing temperatures are partly to blame, strains the jet stream’s ability to keep all that cold polar air locked away. Yes, but more for how long — about 10 days — the cold has lasted, than how cold it has been. And how can it be this cold if there's global warming? It may seem like an easy joke to make a pun about global warming, but actually increasing temperatures are partly to blame.

New York,

(CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe answered questions about the cold snap in an interactive live stream. Stay up to date on the coronavirus outbreak by signing up to our newsletter today. When the jet stream falters, that polar air can make its way south, sometimes as far as the Gulf Coast. Why has it been so cold? It is -48C this morning and I am a little north of Edmonton. "No matter where you are in the eastern United States, the averages are coming up," Roth said. Is the polar vortex to blame? The Great Lakes and Ohio Valley will see temperatures below zero Fahrenheit by Friday (Feb. 20) and some parts of Florida will experience below-freezing weather. Normally, it acts like a barrier, keeping cold Arctic air trapped in the northern latitudes and away from most of the people on the East Coast. Super cold air is normally locked up in the Arctic in the polar vortex, which is a gigantic circular weather pattern around the North Pole. Farmer's Almanac does pretty good considering they do the weather forecast so far in advance. "This is where we're talking a full-blown blizzard… a weather bomb when we get a storm deepening so rapidly in a short amount of time. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Will This Compact Reactor Finally Deliver Fusion?

"Especially this month, the temperature anomalies are way below average across a big part of the central to eastern United States," Oravec said. Is this unusual? You're getting longer days.".

Is this unusual? "More research is saying that we've got more meandering jet streams with climate change because we're seeing less of a temperature difference with a warming Arctic.

To understand why, you have to first know the difference between weather and climate. "Get ready for an even more impressive surge of Arctic air later this week as another cold front drops south from Canada," the NWS said in a statement. "I think you had six days and counting of temperatures that didn't rise above –16.". So what's behind this extreme chill? He called it one of the more persistently cold winters in the United States. Don't confuse weather — which is a few days or weeks in one region — with climate, which is over years and decades and global. And how can it be this cold if there's global warming? Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. Super cold air is normally locked up in the Arctic in the polar vortex, which is a gigantic circular weather pattern around the North Pole.

It may seem like an easy joke to make a pun about global warming, but actually increasing temperatures are partly to blame.

Follow Live Science @livescience, Facebook & Google+.

Is Gas Too Cheap Right Now? NY 10036. Ongoing research shows that there seems to be a similar connection for more frequent Arctic cold snaps like what the U.S. is now experiencing, Kretschmer said. Weirdo Weather: 7 Rare Meteorological Events, These could be the funniest animal pictures ever, AI 'resurrects' 54 Roman emperors, in stunningly lifelike images, Antarctica could melt 'irreversibly' due to climate change, study warns, Dream-shaping tech from MIT channels suggestions into your dreams, Black holes so big we don't know how they form could be hiding in the universe, Snakes disembowel toads and feast on the living animal's organs one by one, Stone Age dog may have been buried with its master. A strong polar vortex keeps that cold air hemmed in. Why has it been so cold? But all this talk of global warming is not overblown. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. This cold weather can take hold, thanks to flows in the middle and upper levels of the atmosphere that travel from northwest to southeast. If you live in the eastern half of North America, you may have noticed that it’s cold outside, and not just because it's winter.

"I'm pretty sure parts of Maine are getting there, too.".

It gets cold in winter, but also: yes it's climate change. Take a look at these air pressure maps of North America: These maps show that air from the far north of Canada is flowing south into the American Midwest and Northeast, which is why it’s so cold outside right now. This pattern continued on and off throughout the summer, explaining the cooler temperatures in the eastern United States, said Bob Oravec, a forecaster at the National Weather Service. Instead, researchers look at "the conglomeration of many of those events over time" to calculate climate change, Rosencrans said. A recent study by Potsdam Institute climate scientist Marlene Kretschmer found the polar vortex has weakened and meandered more often since 1990, but that study focused more on Europe.

It’s so cold the National Weather Service warns of iguanas falling from trees . However, Wagstaffe says a weather bomb or bombogenesis is shaping up for the Maritimes, with cold air moving eastward and merging with a storm system that is moving north from the U.S. East Coast.

For now, in parts of Canada, it has warmed up a little bit and extreme cold warnings have been lifted in places like Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and London, Ont..

How we test gear. So if you’re stuck outside on the East Coast this week freezing your extremities off, you can thank global warming.

It has been a fairy warm winter up to now and they forecast above normal temperatures for November and December. Of course sometimes it justgets cold in winter, but a lot of the extreme weather the Northeast is experiencing right now has to do with climate change. Weather Explained: How Do Tornadoes Form? Box 500 Station A Toronto, ON Canada, M5W 1E6. "They form at different times of the year, and they tend to go farther south during the winter," Oravec said.

Navy Destroyer Spends Record 208 Days at Sea, Navy Names Carrier After Black Sailor Doris Miller, Get the Right Multitool for the Right Situation. The risk is great for widespread outages and white conditions with hurricane-force winds, she added, "on top of snowfall totals that could be over 40 centimetres.". So why is it so cold? Yes, it's cold. When there are very strong temperature differences between the north and the south, that cold air stays locked up in the north.