How cuts to federal climate funds could threaten polar vortex research

A Nashville Department of Transportation truck applies salt brine to a roadway Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the central and eastern United States over the weekend.

Tens of millions of people are in the path of a major winter storm. Federal cuts threaten efforts to understand the causes of such weather.

(Image credit: George Walker IV)