Cold Weather and Global Warming

 When arctic weather bends as far south as Texas, one common question is "how can this be related to climate change, or global warming?". It's all about instability. What were once relatively stable global air circulation patterns have been thrown into flux. You'll find many examples in recent years of when this has occurred, but not always why it is connected to climate change. In the words of Dr. Ullrich at UC Davis: "warming of the Earth has led to the loss of Arctic sea ice, transforming a highly reflective icy surface to a dark absorptive surface. The change is warming higher latitudes and reducing the temperature difference between the warmer mid-latitude and polar regions. This weakens and destabilizes the polar jet stream, causing it to dip into lower latitudes, bringing polar air farther south." 

If you want pictures and a bit more explanation, check this out: What is the Polar Vortex? - Science and Climate (ucdavis.edu)

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