The freezing cold proves that global warming is a « hoax, » according to Trump

Donald Trump suggested that the intense cold snap that has been hitting the United States since last week contradicts global warming:

"I have rarely seen anything like this before (...) WHAT HAPPENED TO GLOBAL WARMING???" the US president quipped on Truth Social.

However, according to researchers, such weather and global warming could be linked.

There is no respite in the United States. A new winter storm with heavy snowfall hit the country. This event is combined with a polar cold snap that could lead to record temperatures in some regions, including Florida, according to the US National Weather Service (NWS).

This new wave of freezing cold comes as the aftermath of the snowstorm on the weekend of January 24 continues to disrupt the country.

The latter disrupted transportation, plunged hundreds of thousands of people into darkness, and caused around 100 deaths.

This extreme cold is caused by a lot of frigid air from the Arctic colliding with warmer, more humid air in the United States. Normally, cold Arctic air is kept at high northern latitudes by the polar vortex, a huge circular current of winds.

When this vortex weakens or stretches, the frigid air can escape southward, reaching the United States. Metaphorically, it's a bit like opening the front door on a very cold day.

The Arctic is warming up to four times faster than the rest of the planet. A growing number of researchers suggest that these disturbances could be due to the relatively rapid warming of the Arctic, which is warming up to four times faster than the rest of the planet.

This region weakens the wind belt that usually insulates the atmosphere above the polar region of North America. That said, scientists are waiting for more data over a longer period of time to firmly establish a link between these extreme winter storms and climate change. In addition, some experts point out that natural climate variations may also play a role.

Even in the midst of the current storm, some parts of the western United States are experiencing a significant lack of snow, which has hurt many ski resorts, reports The Guardian.

On a larger scale, winter cold snaps have shortened by an average of six days across much of the country since 1970, according to Climate Central, a nonprofit research organization.

Cold days still occur, but they are vastly outnumbered by record-breaking hot days. Nationwide, since 1970, the average temperature of the coldest days of the year has risen by at least 2.5°C (4.6°F).