What is the link between winter storms and global warming?

The behaviour of winter storms is governed by complex atmospheric dynamics that are more difficult to study.

The world is getting warmer, winters included. The United States, however, has experienced severe winter storms in recent years, and experts are taking a closer look at the link between these extreme cold events and climate change.

While the link between global warming and heat waves is very direct, the behaviour of winter storms is governed by complex atmospheric dynamics that are more difficult to study.

Even so, "there are certain aspects of winter storms (...) where the climate change linkages are fairly strong and robust," Michael Mann, a climatologist at the University of Pennsylvania, told AFP.

For example, the warming of bodies of water -- lakes or oceans -- influences the amount of snowfall.

In the United States, a mechanism called "lake-effect snow" occurs around the Great Lakes region on the Canadian border. The city of Buffalo, which sits on the shores of one of the Great Lakes, was hit hard by a lethal snowstorm over Christmas weekend.

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The collision between cold air from the north with the warmer water of these lakes causes convection, which leads to snowfall.