Nemo Caused by Climate Change: Nor'easter Had More Snow

After Nemo slammed into the East Coast this weekend, there's been increased speculation over whether or not the winter storm was fueled by climate change. In particular, higher levels of heat and moisture in the atmosphere can help intensify storms to the point where they cause massive damage. Like many big snow storms, Nemo had the perfect temperature--neither too hot nor too cold. The air was just below freezing, which is when the biggest snowfalls occur.

Speculation about whether or not big storms cause climate change has made the news time and time again. After Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy, newspapers and online news sources claimed that it was possible that the storms were, in part, fueled by warming temperatures. This weekend's nor'easter is no different. It too is receiving its own speculations.

So was Nemo actually fueled by climate change? The storm bore down on the East coast amidst perfect conditions--just cold-enough temperatures and a lot of moisture. Freezing air mixed with a massive amount of moisture coming off of the Gulf of Mexico region in order to create the big storm. Any colder, and the atmosphere's ability to hold moisture to make snowflakes would have dropped by four percent for every one degree Fahrenheit fall in temperature. This means that the colder it became, the less potential snow there would have been. In fact, a warmer atmosphere can result in as much as 10 percent more snow.

Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, agreed that climate change could have helped Nemo along. "Global warming doesn't cause these storms, but it does add to their intensity," Tranberth said in an interview with Cape Cod Times. "Sea temperature is higher, and there is more moisture over the ocean as a result, waiting to be sucked up by the storm."

Sea temperatures have indeed continued to rise. The Atlantic Ocean has warmed by almost 2 degrees Fahrenheit between 1895 and 2011. In 2012, the coastal waters along New England experienced the hottest summer ever--more than 11 degrees over the historic average in some areas.

There is research to back up these claims, as well. Last month, a draft report by the National Climate Assessment Development Advisory Committee showed a 74 percent increase in the amount of rainfall or snowfall during heavy precipitation events in the Northeast--such as Nemo--from 1958 to 2011.

It's certainly possible that Nemo was fueled by climate change. The temperature and increased precipitation combined to create a storm that dumped more than two feet of snow in some areas, cancelled 5,300 flights and caused four deaths.