Fifty degrees below
by Kim Stanley Robinson
'Just finished reading this book, supposedly science fiction but set apparently in 2003 or thereabouts. The environment has reached a tipping point that causes extreme weather swings. The main character is working for the National Science Foundation so he's in Washington DC when that city experiences the cold snap that the book is named after.
An interesting look at how science institutions can influence politics (or not).
This book is available at the Altadena Library:
http://catalog.altadenalibrary.org/search/?searchtype=t&searcharg=fifty+...