The Earth seems to be running a serious fever. The arctic is at its warmest temperature in years, while a “Beast from the East” cold snap is hitting Europe.
Roofs are seen covered in snow in downtown Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. (REUTERS/Remo Casilli)
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it wasn’t built for snow, either.
In fact, the Italian capital had seen white powder only once in the past 33 years, until Monday.
That’s when thermostats at the Vatican dipped below freezing, shocking priests and nuns who got stuck in the snow. Even the army had to be called in to help clear the Roman streets, Reuters reported.
But the Romans aren’t the only ones shaking in their bitterly-cold boots. Across Europe, people are dealing with a blast of cold air this week, as a so-called “Beast from the East” moves across Europe, bringing chilly, extreme weather in from Siberia.
Scientists are pointing out that it’s all part of a disturbing trend: the polar jet stream has been acting weird lately, and the North Pole is actually warmer than parts of Europe this week.
Meteorologist Eric Holthaus called it a “shocking sign of our Earth’s accelerating planetary fever.”
Take a look at how Italy looks in the snow:
Roman temperatures normally never dip below zero.
The ancient Colosseum is seen during a heavy snowfall early in the morning in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. (REUTERS/Remo Casilli)
The average low temperature for February should be 3.5 degrees Celsius or 38 Fahrenheit, while the high is typically near 13 Celsius or 55 Fahrenheit, according to the World Meteorological Association.
But on Monday, the temperature in the city dropped below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, or -7 Celsius.
The Colosseum is seen during a heavy snowfall in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018. Picture taken with a fisheye lens. (REUTERS/Alberto Lingria)
More than four inches of snow fell in four hours at the airport, Reuters reported.
The city ground to a halt, closing schools and urging residents to stay home.
The statue of Saint Peter is pictured during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018 (REUTERS/Max Rossi)
Roman city officials asked places more used to seeing snow if they could borrow snow plows, according to Reuters.
The last time the city saw real snow like this was in 2012, which was Rome’s first fresh powder dusting in nearly three decades.
People walk during a heavy snowfall at the Circus Maximus in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018 (REUTERS/Yara Nardi)
That’s when a blistering cold snap killed hundreds of people across Europe.
This week, the World Meteorological Association (WMO) is issuing cold weather warnings across the European continent once again.
“This cold period … could be a risk to life for vulnerable people exposed to the cold,” the WMO said.
A bike is seen covered in snow during a heavy snowfall in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018 (REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)
Source: Reuters
The cold blasts didn’t stop these tourists from pausing to snap a selfie in front of the Spanish Steps.
The cold blasts didn’t stop these tourists from pausing to snap a selfie in front of the Spanish Steps. (REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)
And this priest couldn’t resist a rare chance to hurl a snowball from St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican.
And this priest couldn’t resist a rare chance to hurl a snowball from St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican. (REUTERS/Max Rossi)
Other priests just marveled at the highly unusual sight.
Other priests just marveled at the highly unusual sight. (REUTERS/Max Rossi)
The abnormally chilly European temperatures are one indicator that the world’s climate is in chaos.
A man makes a snowman during a heavy snowfall in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican February 26, 2018 (REUTERS/Max Rossi)
Climate scientist Robert Rohde from Berkeley pointed out on Twitter that temperatures across the Arctic have also been going haywire recently, averaging 54 degrees Fahrenheit higher (+30 Celsius) than normal.
Pope Francis recently blasted climate change deniers, saying: “Those who deny this must go to the scientists and ask them. They speak very clearly.”
A statue is seen covered in snow during a heavy snowfall in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018 (REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)
The Pope also said “history will judge” those who don’t take action on climate change.
Nuns walk past a bike covered in snow during a heavy snowfall in Rome, Italy, February 26, 2018 (REUTERS/Max Rossi)
Aboard the papal plane in September, the pope said politicians have a “moral responsibility” to do their part to fight the planet’s shifting temperatures, which are a consequence of the greenhouse gases emitted by humans’ burning of fossil fuels.
“When you don’t want to see, you don’t see,” the Pope said.
Statues are seen covered by snow during a heavy snowfall in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018 (REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)
The freeze, fueled by a flip-flop-like disturbance in the Arctic jet stream, is expected to continue across Europe in the coming days.
A monument is covered by snow during a heavy snowfall in Rome, Italy February 26, 2018 (REUTERS/Remo Casilli)
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