30 Year US Summer Temperature Trend

[aja8888]

As I was reading this post, the DW and I were just having that "debate".... I won (but she thinks she did)... She wanted it set at 78, I wanted is at 72 but I told here 70... So after some "discussion" we settled on 73.... Hey I gave in a little... Art of the deal...


On second thought, maybe she really wanted it at 73 to begin with?

You did not win. Take our word for it.

 

[Amethyst]

At least there are exterminators to deal with the ants. But nothing deters the traffic, and it just multiplies year after year!

You forgot to mention snakes, ants and traffic!

 

[RAE]

The tough part is that, at least where I live, the weekly and monthly variability is much greater than it used to be.

Every region gets occasional extreme temperatures, but those extremes (especially high but also low) seem to be more frequent these days.

Same with where I live, and it's not just limited to temperature extremes. When we get rain now, we can get 4"+ at a time. That rarely if ever happened 15+ years ago. Same thing with snow in the winter. Much more unpredictable weather these days, and more extreme weather events, without a doubt.

 

[RAE]

We got evacuated from flagstaff Az on 22june because of forest fires. All the forests are closed because it’s so dry. The pine needles all snap when walking around. We moved RV to Vegas park. 112 outside now.
When I was a kid there was big wind and rain every afternoon for about 6 weeks. Now there are clouds but very little rain for about 3 months.
We’re all in a lot of trouble now!

A big chunk of the west is experiencing an extreme drought, for sure. Droughts have always happened in the west, but not like this, and not with these persistent extreme temperatures and very unusual "heat domes" like the Pacific NW just experienced. Things have definitely changed.

 

[NW-Bound]

Same with where I live, and it's not just limited to temperature extremes. When we get rain now, we can get 4"+ at a time. That rarely if ever happened 15+ years ago. Same thing with snow in the winter. Much more unpredictable weather these days, and more extreme weather events, without a doubt.

It will all average out. If you manage to survive a drought of 7 years, you will get to enjoy 7 years of flood.

Oops. Did I say flood? Dang, that can kill too.

Oh well, the drought already kills you, how's flood gonna hurt if you are already dead?

 

[Music Lover]

The earth is over 4.5 billion years old and planet wide temperatures have only been recorded since 1880 so why is everyone reacting so much to the last 30 years of temps when this cycle may have happened millions of times in the past which would make it normal?

If they went back to the 1930's most of the "hottest year ever" arguments would fall apart. But even 100 years of weather data isn't enough for anyone to come to a conclusion. The planet has gone in and out of ice ages repeatedly, in fact we're coming out of one now. The cycle will continue long after we're gone.

 

[RAE]

This is an issue that matters for the younger among us, especially those with children. It saddens me that so many here has such a dismissive, if not downright cruel, attitude about the future of humanity.

Good post, and I agree with you. I am not young, but I have grandchildren whose futures I do care about. And even if I did not have grandchildren, I would still be concerned about future generations, and their ability to experience life on this planet as I have experienced it. Unfortunately, because of our failure to recognize and address the changes that have been happening with our climate for years now, we have insured that future generations will inherit a world that is very different from the one we've all had the opportunity to experience. It saddens me as well.

 

[indiajust]

i remember a picture of dead cattle piled up in a fence corner in nebraska/montana. Back in the 1920's I think. They had a month never went under 100. highs in the 130's Folks lived under the house and did nothing but sweat and wait it out. If they had the internet they would have been doomed.

Ocean levels +/- 100 meters, mile thick ice or brackish bathwater sea. Temps +/- 30 deg C. No humans in the loop.

I don't think the planet even knows we are here.

 

[Dash man]

Good post, and I agree with you. I am not young, but I have grandchildren whose futures I do care about. And even if I did not have grandchildren, I would still be concerned about future generations, and their ability to experience life on this planet as I have experienced it. Unfortunately, because of our failure to recognize and address the changes that have been happening with our climate for years now, we have insured that future generations will inherit a world that is very different from the one we've all had the opportunity to experience. It saddens me as well.

Every generation has had concerns for future generations, yet life goes on.

 

[Al in Ohio]

What I have seen is that while there may not be new record highs set, the summer heat starts earlier in the year, and lasts longer into fall. That brings up the average temperature.

In addition, the lows at night are also getting higher. This gives you no reprieve, even in the dark night.

We are all doomed. You can choose to be dry roasted in the West, or steamed in the South and the Eastern Seaboard. Just different forms of misery.

I live in the midwest. It’s always been hot and humid with lots of haze most of the summer. With climate change we now have milder weather. Less humid, cooler summers. Milder winters with less ice and snow. I now don’t have to move in retirement for a better climate.

 

[Montecfo]

The US has reduced emissions sharply. But it has also agreed to let the planet's largest carbon emitter, China, continue to grow emissions unabated.

If you believe carbon emissions are killing the planet for future generations, why is there no serious plan to reduce them worldwide?

 

[ImThinkin2019]

This is an issue that matters for the younger among us, especially those with children. It saddens me that so many here has such a dismissive, if not downright cruel, attitude about the future of humanity.

I really think whoever came up with the slogan "save the earth/planet" really screwed it up, because the earth doesn't care it it's 0, 100, or 200 degrees. It'll just go on existing, maybe with no life, but earth will be perfectly fine - it's just the humans who would be extinct. They should rebrand it "save your grand/children" or something and maybe people would take it more seriously. Well, that's assuming the heart has more pull than the wallet, but that may be a bit too optimistic. At least we can take some schadenfreude in knowing that even the billionaires will eventually die in their gilded bunkers some years after the rest of humanity perishes.

Anyway, this comic does a good job showing the temperature timeline for the past 20+ millenia for those who dismiss a puny few degree temperature difference:

The alt text is:
[After setting your car on fire] Listen, your car's temperature has changed before.

Thank you for this post. I liked the graphic very much. It gives some perspective.

Humans have adapted to a variety of conditions. And we have always innovated.

We have things today that did not exist when I was a kid. For example, at our house we have PV solar panels just being installed, which will provide most of our power.

Since our solar production will vary with the season and the weather, our surplus energy will go into the Green Bank as a credit to be used when our production is low. The result is that our total electric bill will be near 0. We can monitor this on our smart phone. Check our account on the internet. And the whole thing will be managed by computers. None of this existed 50 years ago.

On our house we have geothermal heat and cooling. If it gets a little hotter we use more cooling. Whether it's hotter or cooler we use electricity to run the heat pump to adjust the internal temperature.

Our DD's family just put hybrid split systems in their house, which heat and cool. To supplement their oil burner. They added solar panels to provide the electricity. Green Bank also. Reasonably price hybrid splits were not available when I was young. New technology.

We're fortunate to live here in the US where we have the means to purchase these technologies. There are a lot of people who can't.

Comparing today to the 70's, when I started to become aware, I see reasons for hope. With the communication available now, innovation can happen very fast. And people around the world can come together to push for change.

Our kids (and many of the young people we meet) accept as a given that we need to take care of the environment. That's a change from when I was a kid.

Great post, OP! Thank you!

 

[tulak]

If you believe carbon emissions are killing the planet for future generations, why is there no serious plan to reduce them worldwide?

Money.

Some are trying though. It’s not easy.

 

[Koolau]

The US has reduced emissions sharply. But it has also agreed to let the planet's largest carbon emitter, China, continue to grow emissions unabated.

If you believe carbon emissions are killing the planet for future generations, why is there no serious plan to reduce them worldwide?

Not looking for a food fight, but I just wonder what the USA could do to insure any other country reduces their emissions. We are setting at least some kind of "example" but we can't "tell" another country how to behave. Most countries will do what they believe is in their own best interest. If they choose to take the short-sighted view of their best interest, we have no authority and little influence in their sovereign affairs.

 

[Gumby]

Not looking for a food fight, but I just wonder what the USA could do to insure any other country reduces their emissions. We are setting at least some kind of "example" but we can't "tell" another country how to behave. Most countries will do what they believe is in their own best interest. If they choose to take the short-sighted view of their best interest, we have no authority and little influence in their sovereign affairs.

I would also note that in exporting our heavy industry to China, we have also exported a substantial amount of our pollution. So it is a bit rich to complain about them.

 

[Alan]

I would also note that in exporting our heavy industry to China, we have also exported a substantial amount of our pollution. So it is a bit rich to complain about them.

Plus they have a population of 1.4 Billion so could rightly argue that their emissions per capita are less than half the USA.

https://www.worldometers.info/co2-emissions/co2-emissions-per-capita/

 

[Montecfo]

Plus they have a population of 1.4 Billion so could rightly argue that their emissions per capita are less than half the USA.

https://www.worldometers.info/co2-emissions/co2-emissions-per-capita/

They could. But if you truly believe such an argument is attempting to justify actions which will destroy the world, and soon, how is that acceptable?

 

[Car-Guy]

They could. But if you truly believe such an argument is attempting to justify actions which will destroy the world, and soon, how is that acceptable?

It's not. IMO, it's "much more" about politics and money... And probably in that order.

 

[tulak]

They could. But if you truly believe such an argument is attempting to justify actions which will destroy the world, and soon, how is that acceptable?

It’s not.

If you look at China, they appear to be aware this is an issue and are trying to become more “green.” It’s a hard problem though, especially in their case where they need to balance growth vs environmental impact.

 

[38Chevy454]

It's not. IMO, it's "much more" about politics and money... And probably in that order.

Don't forget about power and control as well.

 

[Car-Guy]

Don't forget about power and control as well.

+1

Well since you said it, I had actually written "control" as the primary reason but I figured that would get "removed" so I edited it out myself". You just never know.

 

[Montecfo]

It’s not.

If you look at China, they appear to be aware this is an issue and are trying to become more “green.” It’s a hard problem though, especially in their case where they need to balance growth vs environmental impact.

oh?

"Despite pledges to cut emissions, China goes on a coal spree"

https://e360.yale.edu/features/despite-pledges-to-cut-emissions-china-goes-on-a-coal-spree

 

[Gumby]

When I was a boy, I sometimes tried to weasel my way out of a spanking by pointing out that the kid down the street did the same thing. My mother never bought it. I was responsible for my own actions regardless of what anyone else did or failed to do.

We can try to convince China to take stronger actions to reduce pollution, and perhaps work with them to help make that happen, but in the end we cannot control them. And if they don't take action, that does not let us off the hook. We can control ourselves, and we should.

 

[Aerides]

We can control ourselves, and we should.

It's very easy as one person to ignore recycling, to consume fuels with abandon, to buy a new gadget every month, to fill the landfills with our discards, and say "why not, what possible impact can one person have?"

But it's just as easy to do the opposite of those things, and so I do.

 

[Car-Guy]

If you look at China, they appear to be aware this is an issue and are trying to become more “green.” It’s a hard problem though, especially in their case where they need to balance growth vs environmental impact.

And the US needs to balance their economic and competitive impacts too. IMO