Ready or not, winter weather is on its way.
Part beautiful, part treacherous, snow and ice storms can wreak havoc on homes, businesses, and travel plans from coast to coast.
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.
And though you may be bundling your coat, climate experts say there's a major culprit to blame: global warming.
Nonfiction comic artist Andy Warner illustrated this helpful lesson from Kevin Trenberth of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, who details how climate change is behind some of our most recent snowstorms. (Whether or not the president-elect would like to believe it.)
All illustrations by Andy Warner, used with permission.
With storms potentially intensifying due to climate change, it's best to be prepared.
Whether it's a blizzard, hurricane, earthquake, or zombie attack, it's important to keep some basic supplies on hand in your home and car in case of emergency.
Since electricity and emergency resources may not be available, your home-based kit should include enough drinking water and nonperishable food for each person in your household to live on for three days. It should also include items like flashlights, a radio, a battery-operated cell phone charger, a first-aid kit, blankets and/or warm clothes, and any prescription medicine you're currently taking. And if you have a pet, don't forget to include food and water for them as well.
Photo by iStock.
A smaller, but similar kit for your car should also include jumper cables, road flares or cones, an ice scraper, and hand warmers.
As climate change makes our weather patterns more intense and less predictable, we need to learn to adapt.
That means preparing and looking out for friends and neighbors when the worst happens. But it also means getting out there and making the most of the snow. It's not going anywhere — might as well enjoy it.
Ziggy plays in the snow in Melville, New York. Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images.