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Is ‘weather whiplash’ yet another symptom of climate change?
Once a colloquial phrase used to describe surprising, rapid shifts in weather conditions, ‘weather whiplash’ is being continuously validated by climate change studies and is reportedly getting worse.
We all misjudge the weather from time to time, but what we’re talking about here is far more dramatic than mistakenly opting to leave an umbrella at home.
Prior to New Year’s Eve in California, the state had endured a prolonged and severe drought stretching some three years. Forecasts had offered little hope of relief for residents, when the heavens suddenly opened on the night. It wasn’t a cause for celebration, however.
Fast forward a few weeks to the present, and the Golden State has been continuously battered by torrential downpours, extreme storms, and flooding which have taken lives and destroyed both homes and highways. It feels like a sick joke.
Between 10 and 20 inches of snow have fallen in some locations, and recently parched farmlands have been supplanted by raging rivers. Rainfall totals are reportedly 600 percent above normal patterns and 24 trillion gallons of water have fallen since late December.
