The United States is experiencing a striking mix of weather extremes this March, including flooding rains in Hawaii, rare snow in Alabama, and a severe heatwave on the west coast. Experts say these patterns bear the 'fingerprint' of the climate crisis, urging the public to take action to minimise impacts.
The heatwave affecting California, Nevada, and Arizona has been particularly intense. The National Weather Service described the conditions in Los Angeles as 'extremely rare for March', with Palm Springs reaching 107°F (42°C) on Thursday. Heat alerts remain in effect through Sunday.
A rapid analysis released Friday found that the heatwave would have been 'virtually impossible' without global warming caused by fossil fuel burning. Climate change has made such heatwaves four times more likely over the past decade. Experts warn that April temperature records may be broken.
While March has always been a month of weather extremes due to the jet stream's behaviour, scientists note that the severity of warm extremes is increasing. The jet stream's wavy pattern can cause simultaneous extremes, such as the western heatwave and eastern cold snap.
Other unusual events include snowfall in Alabama and double-digit snow totals in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan. On Tuesday, half a million homes and businesses lost power as a storm system brought snow, wind, and rain from the Midwest to the East Coast.
Although the link between snowfall and climate change is complex, experts are more certain about heat. 'It’s probably reasonable to say that this heatwave in the west in March will have a climate change fingerprint on it,' said Jon Nese, associate head of meteorology at Penn State.
