Weather and climate are not the same thing. Weather can change daily, while climate is the average weather over at least a thirty-year period. Daily temperatures and precipitation are not indications of climate change. To put it in a general context, the weather is like your mood, while climate is your whole personality. Winter is still cold, but overall the global temperatures are higher than previous years. In areas where temperature permits, there will be snow and even more of it due to global warming. Global warming does not mean the snow will melt. It actually causes there to be a higher moisture content in the air because the oceans are evaporating more leading to stronger precipitation events. Many places will remain below 32 degrees Fahrenheit in winters even with global warming increasing global temperatures by 0.2 degree Celsius per decade. Changes in winter temperatures worldwide can be caused by pressure gradients. The cycling of varying pressure gradients over the Northern Atlantic Ocean is called the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). When the NAO is in a negative phase, it causes below average temperatures in eastern United States and above average temperatures in southern Europe at the same time. Weather can vary around the globe but, the most important thing to realize is that weather is different than climate, and global climate is different than regional climate. Even if a region's climate is not warming at a specific instance, the global climate may still be warmer than average.

Graphics:

This graphic displays the differences from average temperature in the Northern hemisphere during a negative NAO.

Surface Temperature Anomalies During a Negative NAO. State Climate Office of North Carolina. Accessed 16 October 2017.

Last modified: 17 October 2017