The federal government this winter will begin rapidly analyzing how climate change is altering the risks of extremely cold temperatures, expanding the application of the system it rolled out over the summer to study heat waves.

Officials with Environment and Climate Change Canada say the results will show how much less likely a given cold snap has become due to human-caused climate change.

Of the 37 heat waves studied this summer, officials say all have been made more likely due to climate change, with most being two to 10 times more likely.

In what is called a rapid attribution study, climate scientists said they see the potential to translate for the general public how decades of human activity, primarily the burning of large amounts of fossil fuels, are already contributing to dramatic changes in weather extremes – usually more. warmth and less extreme cold.

At a briefing today, officials said this summer was the hottest on record in Quebec and Atlantic Canada, and the fourth hottest in Canada, based on data dating back to 1948.

Over that period, they say summer temperatures in Canada have warmed by 1.7°C, a trend largely driven by human-caused climate change.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published October 25, 2024.

Jordan Omstead, The Canadian Press