Starship Asterisk*

After this extra wimpy winter, can the contention that the climate isn't really warming still be maintained with any credibility?

Here in Texas, February is often our coldest month. (Or at least it often feels that way.) Not this year. Laredo has already reached 100 F. Dallas has gone the entire month without getting down to 32 F. How's it been where you are?

My wife and I are dreading another hot, humid summer here in south Texas, so we are making plans to move north and west. Could become a trend: Global Warming induced migration.

Bruce

BDanielMayfield wrote:After this extra wimpy winter, can the contention that the climate isn't really warming still be maintained with any credibility?

Well, I'd be careful. Any individual season or even year deviating significantly from the long term average isn't much of an indicator of climate change. Furthermore, global warming can lead to regional changes that can create a new norm of colder or wetter winters, as well.

Above all, it's the combination of global land and sea temperature measurements along with patterns of weather and climate shifts that provide the real evidence that we're altering our climate.

(Not that this year's unusual weather patterns aren't in part a consequence of global warming... it's just not a good idea to use the first as a strong argument for the second.)

Chris Peterson wrote:

BDanielMayfield wrote:After this extra wimpy winter, can the contention that the climate isn't really warming still be maintained with any credibility?

Above all, it's the combination of global land and sea temperature measurements along with patterns of weather and climate shifts that provide the real evidence that we're altering our climate.

(Not that this year's unusual weather patterns aren't in part a consequence of global warming... it's just not a good idea to use the first as a strong argument for the second.)

Sure, but the trend becomes more discernible over time even on local or regional levels, which are what people notice and must deal with. There sure have been an increase in records broken on the high side here. How about in Colorado?

BDanielMayfield wrote:

Chris Peterson wrote:

BDanielMayfield wrote:After this extra wimpy winter, can the contention that the climate isn't really warming still be maintained with any credibility?

Above all, it's the combination of global land and sea temperature measurements along with patterns of weather and climate shifts that provide the real evidence that we're altering our climate.

(Not that this year's unusual weather patterns aren't in part a consequence of global warming... it's just not a good idea to use the first as a strong argument for the second.)

Sure, but the trend becomes more discernible over time even on local or regional levels, which are what people notice and must deal with. There sure have been an increase in records broken on the high side here. How about in Colorado?

Certainly, when we look at longer term trends, the pattern is obvious (well... obvious to those not blinded by dogmatic denialism). In my part of Colorado, peak summer temperatures have steadily increased over the last 20 years. Winters have gotten more variable in terms of temperatures- sometimes with colder extremes, sometimes with warmer extremes. They have become drier, and they have become shorter. I've observed this not only in terms of measured temperatures and precipitation, but also in things like when migratory birds arrive (bluebirds appear about two weeks earlier now than they did 20 years ago) as well as when some flowers and plants bloom or appear (pasque flowers appear about two weeks earlier than they used to). There's also an altitude shift for where plant and animal species exist.

My wife and I are birdwatchers, and we have also seen changes here. Species that formerly were only found as far north as the lower Rio Grand Valley are now residents here. (Great Kisskadee and Green Jays are common, year round residents now.) Others who's winter ranges have extended this far south have been absent lately. (No Robins or Eastern Bluebirds this winter. Possibly for several winters.)

All the trees are leafing out and wildflowers are starting too, weeks ahead of normal.

BDanielMayfield wrote:After this extra wimpy winter, can the contention that the climate isn't really warming still be maintained with any credibility?

Here in Texas, February is often our coldest month. (Or at least it often feels that way.) Not this year. Laredo has already reached 100 F. Dallas has gone the entire month without getting down to 32 F. How's it been where you are?

My wife and I are dreading another hot, humid summer here in south Texas, so we are making plans to move north and west. Could become a trend: Global Warming induced migration.

Bruce

And so we've now made the big move clear up to Idaho. The south Texas summer was horribly hot, as usual, and then came hurricane Harvey. My hope was that we would have made it up here in time for the eclipse, but that wasn't possible. Harvey kinda kicked us in the butt to get a move on though, as we finished packing up as the first rains from Harvey moved in. An hour or two after we had hit the road a mandatory evacuation order was issued for people living in travel trailers in our county. We were in the middle of the mass exodus of people from the Corpus Christi area heading up IH 37 to San Antonio.

One of my cousins lives north of Houston. I was releaved to hear that he only got 25 inches of rain, as many areas around Houston got over 50!

When I call my wife and I global warming and hurricane refugees I'm not really joking. We suffered little loss because we where able to haul our house with us. Millions of others in Texas, Florida and the Caribbean have and are suffering through a horrible hurricane season. It wouldn't surprise me at all if many relocate northward also.

Plants and animals are spreading northward due to climate change. People will too.

Bruce