The East Coast of the United States continues to be locked in the grip of some of the coldest weather conditions ever recorded. The current Weather Bomb is just the latest in a string of extraordinary weather events that have blasted the U.S. and the Caribbean over the past 12-months. It is claimed that over 100 million people are affected by the extreme cold weather, and many more people have been affected by wildfires, mudslides and now a powerful earthquake has shaken parts of the Caribbean.
Crazy weather sees snow in Florida whilst at least 13 people are killed by mudslides in California
Over the course of 2017, we saw Texas, Florida, and parts of the Caribbean lashed by hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. Parts of the Florida Keys are still recovering from hurricane damage, and now, as reported by NBC News, snow is affecting parts of the Sunshine State. Parts of California have been devastated by wildfires with over 1,000 buildings and many homes destroyed. The Thomas fire, one of six major wildfires in California has destroyed over 230,000 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and now at least 13 people have been killed by mudslides triggered by heavy rain in the fire affected areas.
The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season will be remembered as one of the most fierce on record. Hurricane Maria devastated parts of the Carribean, whilst Hurricane Irma, one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded, caused the deaths of at least 134 people in the Carribean and Florida. Hurricane Harvey blasted the Gulf Coast of Texas and caused major flooding in Houston.
Those living on the East Coast of The United States will not need to be reminded about the effects of the so-called "weather bomb" that has dropped huge amounts of snow and generated temperatures of almost minus 100 degrees when wind chill factors are taken into account. Time magazine reports that over 100 million people have been affected by the bone-chilling temperatures that have seen sharks frozen in the sea and Iguana's fall from trees in Florida.
The Caribbean is hit by a 7.6 magnitude earthquake
AccuWeather reports that a 7.6 magnitude earthquake was recorded in the sea off the coast of Honduras. Tsunami warnings were put in place for the Caribbean and Central America regions, but thankfully they have now been lifted with no major damage reported. At present no fatalities have been reported as a result of the earthquake which threatened Mexico, Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Jamaica, and Belize.
It will surprise no one that New Scientist claims that the extreme weather events experienced around the world over the past 12-months are the result of climate change. They explain that global warming is responsible for the cold weather events because arctic winds that normally keep the extremely cold air above the Arctic are weakening, allowing that cold air to slip to the south.
Having seen so many extreme weather events during 2017, scientists claim that we will continue to see more extreme events as the climate warms. Last year's extreme weather and the early 2018 cold snap may be just the beginning of what is to come.
