Heat records melting across the U.S.
The summer of the future is here today. Last week, 1,924 high-temperature records in the U.S. were broken or tied, reports Climate Central.
A sampling of record-setting temps from Sunday:
Charlotte, N.C.: 104°
Macon, Ga.: 108°
Raleigh, N.C.: 103°
Atlanta, Ga.: 106°
Columbus, Ga.: 106°
Knoxville, Tenn.: 105°
Athens, Ga.: 109°
Bristol, Tenn.: 102°
Cairo, Ill.: 109°
Chattanooga, Tenn.: 106°
Columbia, S.C.: 109°
Greenville, S.C.: 105°
Nashville, Tenn.: 109°
Paducah, Ky.: 108°
Washington, D.C., area: 104°
You get the idea.
More on the trend from Andrew Freedman at Climate Central:
It is unusual for all-time high temperature records to be set during June, since July and August typically feature more intense heat events than those that take place during early summer. …
In a long-term trend that demonstrates the effects of a warming climate, daily record-high temperatures have recently been outpacing daily record-lows by an average of 2-to-1, and this imbalance is expected to grow as the climate continues to warm. According to a 2009 study, if the climate were not warming, this ratio would be expected to be even. Other studies have shown that climate change increases the odds of extreme heat events and may make them warmer and longer lasting.
A separate study published last year by climate scientists at Stanford found that the United States is “likely to undergo extreme summer temperature shifts within 60 years.” Said the study’s lead author, Noah Diffenbaugh, “According to our projections, large areas of the globe are likely to warm up so quickly that, by the middle of this century, even the coolest summers will be hotter than the hottest summers of the past 50 years.”
Feeling hot? Get used to it.
Heat Wave Sets More All-Time Temperature Records, Climate Central.
NBC Meteorologist On Record Heat Wave: ‘If We Did Not Have Global Warming, We Wouldn’t See This’, Climate Progress.
Extreme storms and extreme heat hit the U.S., Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog.
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