Sunday, January 12, 2020

These images of snow in Texas should be of grave concern for anyone

It's snowing in Texas and you don't need us to tell you that it isn't ok.

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With Australia currently battling one of the worst wildfires in recent memory, the discussion around the climate crisis is becoming more and more needed by the day.

To emphasise just how serious this matter is, look no further than the great US state of Texas, which has an average temperature in January of 52°F (11.1°C).

However, right now, in North Texas, it is currently experiencing snowfall of two to three inches in some areas. That's right it's snowing in Texas. 


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This is the first time that any measurable snow has fallen in this area of Texas since January 2017 which has caused officials to issue a 'Winter Weather Advisory' in four different counties.

Numerous crashes and icy roads were also reported across multiple highways in the area.

SNOWNADO
If that's wasn't enough a tornado warning was also issued in Texas on Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, in more traditionally colder states like New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Massachusetts experienced something akin to a mini-heatwave as temperatures soared to 60 degrees in some parts.

This in context with what was going on in Texas has led many to believe that this is far from a normal weather pattern.


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It's snowing in Texas and Twitter is freaking out
Take those in North Texas, where it is currently snowing — while in New York City, where I'm currently writing this, it's 60 degrees. Totally cool and normal, right?
It's not just NYC that is experiencing unusually high temperatures, where the average high for a January day is 40 degrees. States such as Ohio and Massachusetts are also experiencing spring-like weather:
The average January temperatures for those states are around 35 degrees and 40 degrees, respectively. 
Twitter certainly took notice of the odd weather and ~did its thing~ aka, tweeted a bunch about it:
Some folks on the social media site say that it's "crazy" Texas weather, not climate change, to blame for the snow. (But let's be clear: climate change is real, and anyone who suggests otherwise is wrong.)
Between Texas and the high temperatures in the Northeast — not to mention the bushfires in Australiatornadoes in both Texas and Louisiana, and an earthquake in Puerto Rico — though, there is a lot of bizarre weather happening. While you're figuring out how advocate for climate change action, you can always rely on others on social media to meme through it all. 

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