2022s Weather Outlook Isn't So Good According To Scientists

People now are living, and in some cases, even dying by the weather. Unfortunately, we can expect even crazier weather patterns than last year throughout 2022, and the weather we’ve seen so far is just the tip of the melting iceberg. The impact of La Nina this winter and spring is going to set up the 2022 season.

Climate Change And Weather

We are already observing the effects that global climate change is having on our environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering earlier than expected. The loss of sea ice, accelerated sea-level rise, and longer, more intense heat waves that were once predicted by scientists are now occurring.

“Within the scientific community it’s a relatively well-accepted fact that as global temperatures increase, extreme precipitation will very likely increase as well. Beyond that, we’re still learning.”

— Joao Teixeira (co-director Center For Climate Sciences)

In 2021 there were more than 10 “Billion-Dollar” weather events in the country. These include floods, drought, hurricanes, and tornadoes that have caused at least one billion in damages.

Arguably, the most extreme of these events was the drought and heatwave across the Pacific Northwest that stretched from August of 2020 into the summer of 2021. We all remember the horrendous images of wildfires in California, Oregon, and Washington that captivated the world last year. Spurred by the dried vegetation from the droughts, wildfires have continued to cause significant damage in California.

Scenes like the one above were all too common throughout much of 2021. The disruptions to human lives, the loss of homes and property, and the devastation to the forests lasted for most of 2021 and have left people on the western half of the United States praying for a better 2022. Unfortunately, that remains a serious question in the minds of authorities and west coast residents as there’s already been the fire in Big Sur that burned 687 acres and took the two weeks leading up to Saturday, February 5th, 2022, to be 100% contained.

Tornado Weather

When tornadoes come there is nothing that can be done but to get out of the way. And, while it’s hard to link a specific tornado to climate change, the fact that climate change has continued to make months like December of 2021 warmer is evident. Warmer temperatures create storm activity that is normally only seen on a large scale during the peak months of May, June, July, and August.

The tornadoes that ravaged the central and southern part of the U.S. in December were notable in several ways. Thunderstorms and tornadoes were produced and traveled for long distances, sometimes over 100 miles, and the impacts were devastating.

Eight states felt the impact and damage of December’s unusual tornado activity. With more than 61 tornadoes up to December 18th, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Georgia, Ohio, and Indiana reported tornadoes that killed more than 80 people and brought devastation to various communities.

NOAA researchers have estimated that tornado weather occurring on a December day in the United States is 12–15%. This is nearly the opposite of the coin when considering what the likelihood of one in June is of any given year with the chances at a staggering 90%. Although they aren’t as common, late-year tornado weather can still be just as devastating as even in December, there can still be EF-4 and EF-5 tornado weather occurrences.

The unusually warm weather in December contributed to thunderstorm activity which was fueled by warm, moist air coming up from the Gulf Of Mexico. The storms became tornadic after they developed in an environment where the horizontal winds from the ground up to 20,000 feet dramatically increased.

Increased Intensity During Hurricane Weather

We can continue to expect increased intensity during hurricane season in 2021. From 1980 to the present, tropical cyclones have caused the most damage, have the highest event cost, and are responsible for more deaths than any other billion-dollar weather and climate disaster in the United States.

The intensity and number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes have been increasing steadily since the 1980s. The increases are attributed in part to the warmer sea surface temperatures in the areas Atlantic hurricanes form and pass through. Currently, there’s an active area of research trying to determine how much of the sea surface temperature increase is attributable to natural causes versus human causes and whether the increase in storms will continue into the future.

While it may not be certain that hurricane weather will increase long-term scientists are projecting that storm intensity and rainfall rates will continue to climb at an accelerated rate well into our future.

Conclusion

There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that carbon pollution has become a topic of debate. How much the burning of carbon fuels has changed our climate, created or added to the problem of global warming, or will be a part of our downfall is something scientists are desperately trying to figure out.

Even as predictions for sea-level rise point to areas along the coasts suffering catastrophic flooding in the next decade, and Florida receives over $400,000,000 in new funds to combat and prepare the state better to deal with the effects, billions more will be needed. It’s just a bandaid. Ultimately, mother nature continues to show how irritated she is with how we’ve treated the planet. Eventually, if it’s not too late, people will have to make drastic changes in their thinking or just get out of mother nature’s way.

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