By Jeff Berardelli U.S. hotter than it s ever been, NOAA says
Just a quick glance at the new U.S. Climate Normals maps published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Tuesday is enough for most climate scientists to say, I told you so. And it s not just because the maps show a warmer and wetter nation, as one would expect with global warming; it s also the specific geographic pattern of those changes.
That s because for decades climate scientists and their computer models have projected the regions that should expect the most warming, the most drying and the biggest increase in precipitation due to human-caused climate change. NOAA s new maps are clear evidence that this impact is now being felt.
SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer
America’s new normal temperature is a degree hotter than it was just two decades ago.
Scientists have long talked about climate change hotter temperatures, changes in rain and snowfall and more extreme weather being the “new normal.” Data released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration put hard figures on the cliche.
The new United States normal is not just hotter, but wetter in the eastern and central parts of the nation and considerably drier in the West than just a decade earlier.
Meteorologists calculate climate normals based on 30 years of data to limit the random swings of daily weather. It’s a standard set by the World Meteorological Organization. Every 10 years, NOAA updates normal for the country as a whole, states and cities by year, month and season.
America’s new normal: A degree hotter than two decades ago
America’s new normal temperature is a degree hotter than it was just two decades ago.
Scientists have long talked about climate change hotter temperatures, changes in rain and snowfall and more extreme weather being the “new normal.” Data released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration put hard figures on the cliche.
The new United States normal is not just hotter, but wetter in the eastern and central parts of the nation and considerably drier in the West than just a decade earlier.
Meteorologists calculate climate normals based on 30 years of data to limit the random swings of daily weather. It’s a standard set by the World Meteorological Organization. Every 10 years, NOAA updates normal for the country as a whole, states and cities by year, month and season.