As a result of climate change, global weather has become increasingly unpredictable and has been hurting the lives of those who live in the affected areas. In America, examples of these disasters include fires in Los Angeles and snow in Atlanta.
“2025 started off interesting to say the least, no one would expect snow in Georgia, very unexpected, and you would expect fires in LA but not to this degree,” seventh grader Surie Sicat said.
There are two main reasons for why these disasters are happening and why they are so extreme. For one, fast-moving air currents high above the earth separate cold air from the warmer air. As a result, the air takes on a wavy path which is called meridional flow, causing weather events to become more extreme. Large dips and swings in the jet stream are amplified by global warming, which, in turn, starts the large-scale disasters that are happening more and more today.
A series of wildfires hit California starting on January 7, 2025. The Palisades Fire is one of the biggest fires that occurred during this season according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It damaged and destroyed more than 6,800 structures, and many residents were either harmed or killed.
“It’s kinda crazy to me on how what seems like an event with a simple cause is actually way more complicated,” seventh grader Lillian Jacob said. “Yeah, it is because of global warming but it’s surprising how it’s so much deeper.”
“Hopefully they can rebuild quickly and get back to their usual lives as soon as they can,” math teacher Ms. Westwater said.
Meanwhile, Atlanta recorded over an inch of snow over ten years ago on January 18, 2014. The recent snowfall of January 10, 2025 reached a height of about 2.1 inches of snow. There was additional snowfall on January 21 of about another inch, heightening the amount of snowfall in January to around 3.1 inches. There is an average of 2.2 inches of snow for the entire year, however the January snowfall alone surpassed the yearly average.
For many, that amount of snow seems insignificant, but for those unprepared any inch of snow can serve as a great detriment. At least 13 people in Atlanta died from the cold, and others suffered from car crashes due to icy roads.
“As more and more extreme weather events occur, I worry about the effects of climate change, especially because many people write them off as spontaneous events. I don’t think people care about the cause as much as they should be,” junior Leah DelOrbe said.
