It was a week of fire and ice. It began with millions of people across the U.S. shivering amid blizzard conditions and frigid air that lasted for days, thanks to a jet stream that slips out of its usual path more often these days. Then, catastrophe in California, with wind-whipped flames taking off in a landscape parched by months of drought to become Los Angeles’ worst-ever wildfires. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] To cap it off, major weather monitoring agencies confirmed 2024 as the hottest year in global history.