After Texas and much of the southern US were hit with abnormally low temperatures and heavy snowfall, many were left asking, “What is yet to come?” While some skeptics have attempted to use the cold to dispute global warming, many experts have attributed the cold to being another side effect of climate change. Some experts are attributing the record cold weather to a polar vortex caused by warming of the North Pole.

“[Warming of the North Pole] can disrupt the wind patterns and in turn affects the polar vortex and makes it weaker,” Chief Meterologist of NBC DFW Rick Mitchell said. “A weaker polar vortex means that colder air is not bottled up around the boarder of the polar vortex… and therefore it allows colder air to spill into the United States – maybe that is one of the contributing factors.”

On Feb. 26, The Wichitan published a poll, asking the question, “We were wondering if last week’s snow storm changed your belief on climate change?” Of the 81 responses, 14.8% said they already doubted climate change, and 1.2% said the storm made them doubt climate change. Despite being a minority of the responses, the response  indicates there is a portion in the MSU community that has bought into the “global warming can’t be real, because it’s so cold outside” mentality.

Massive fires in California and Australia, Hurricane Harvey, recent drought, intense heat waves and now Winter Storm Uri have all been attributed to a dramatic change in climate. If humanity doesn’t come together to combat climate change, the worst is yet come.