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Anomalies from the 1991-2020 average (Axios Visuals map from NOAA data) |
Extreme weather "can cause hazardous conditions from blizzards and ice storms, which prevent travel and knock out power — but it can also alleviate drought, especially in mountainous areas that rely on melting snowpack each spring to replenish groundwater supplies," Fitzpatrick and Davis report. Some moisture can be explained, "Much of California's precipitation lately has been driven by atmospheric rivers — 'long, narrow highways of moisture, typically located at about 10,000 to 15,000 feet above the surface,' as Axios' Andrew Freedman writes in this helpful description." The reasons why "Minneapolis had its second-wettest winter on record, with about 6.4 inches of precipitation — around 3.5 inches more than normal . . . . and Naples, Florida, had its driest winter on record" are not as clear.
But this seems clear: "Climate change is raising the odds and severity of precipitation extremes — both heavy rain and snow as well as prolonged and severe dry spells," Axios reports. "However, it doesn't mean every season, or even every year, will set a new all-time record."
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