Environmental disasters, such as increasing severity and frequency of climatic extremes, can operate as "windows of opportunity," testing residents' mental models and motivating them to engage in reflective processes, questioning their preconceived notions. It is less clear if altering weather patterns, which are frequent in the mid-latitudes, may have a comparable effect and enhance individuals' worries about climate change and readiness to adopt more rigorous climate regulations. In this research, we look at how seasonal temperature changes affect people's perceptions of the severity of climate change and their desire to ameliorate it.
