“Weather weirding” or just weird weather?

“Weather weirding” or just weird weather?

The weather in the last few years continues to puzzle people worldwide.

Changing from one weather extreme to another seems to have become routine across the Northern Hemisphere. Parts of the United States may be shivering now, but Scotland is setting heat records. Across Europe, people died by the hundreds during a severe cold wave in the first half of February, but a week later revelers in Paris were strolling down the Champs-Élysées in short-sleeve shirts.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports findings

Does science have a clue what is going on? Not quite. However, researchers are developing theories that may tie at least some of the erratic weather to global warming. Specifically in relation to the drastic decline of sea ice in the Arctic. It is believed to be a direct consequence of the human release of greenhouse gases.

A report released on Wednesday by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change confirmed that a strong body of evidence links global warming to:

·      An increase in heat waves

·      A rise in episodes of heavy rainfall and other precipitation

·      More frequent coastal flooding

“A changing climate leads to changes in the frequency, intensity, spatial extent, duration and timing of extreme weather and climate events, and can result in unprecedented extreme weather and climate events,” the report found.

Record breaking temperatures

Some of the documented imbalances in the climate have become remarkable. United States government scientists recently reported that February was the 324th consecutive month in which global temperatures exceeded their long-term average for a given month. So far this year, the United States has set 17 new daily highs for every new daily low, according to an analysis performed for The New York Times by Climate Central, a research group in New Jersey. Last year, despite a chilly winter, the country set nearly three new highs for every low.