Winter in North America is cold Dec 2017-Jan 2018

The analysis finds that while the December 2017-January 2018 cold wave in the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada was not unprecedented in absolute terms, it is now a rare event due to global warming. Cold waves of this intensity have become approximately fifteen times less frequent over the last century, with temperatures of such events increasing by about 4ºF (2ºC). The study finds no evidence that Arctic warming has intensified these cold waves; instead, it suggests that Arctic air moving south is now less cold.

• The cold wave occurring from December 26, 2017, to January 8, 2018, in the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada was highly unusual in the current climate, with an estimated return time of roughly 250 years for that specific region.
• Global warming has significantly reduced the frequency of such cold waves; an event of this nature occurred on average every seventeen years at the beginning of the 20th century, making it approximately fifteen times rarer now.
• The temperature of cold waves in North America has increased over the last century, with these events becoming about 4ºF (2ºC) warmer than they previously were.
• The study found no evidence that Arctic warming relative to mid-latitudes has intensified these cold waves; rather, the temperature of the coldest two-week periods has increased about twice as fast as the global mean temperature rise.

APA

World Weather Attribution (2018). Winter in North America is cold Dec 2017-Jan 2018. https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/winter-in-north-america-is-cold-dec-2017-jan-2018/

Chicago

World Weather Attribution. Winter in North America is cold Dec 2017-Jan 2018. 2018. https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/winter-in-north-america-is-cold-dec-2017-jan-2018/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Weather Attribution |title=Winter in North America is cold Dec 2017-Jan 2018 |date=29 January 2018 |url=https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/winter-in-north-america-is-cold-dec-2017-jan-2018/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldweatherattribution2018winter, author = {{World Weather Attribution}}, title = {{Winter in North America is cold Dec 2017-Jan 2018}}, institution = {World Weather Attribution}, year = {2018}, month = jan, url = {https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/winter-in-north-america-is-cold-dec-2017-jan-2018/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }