Weather impacts the lives of individuals every day. Whether through pleasant sunny fall days to torrential downpours, the weather impacts the way we feel and live. Changing weather patterns for 2009 have resulted in weather records being shattered across the nation. Is the current weird weather pattern the new normal?
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, West Virginia, Illinois and Pennsylvania experienced their coolest July on record. July 2009 also provided record warmth in several western locations recorded record warmth including the Seattle-Tacoma area.
As a whole the average temperature for the United States in July fell below average and some parts of the nation had the coldest August on record while other places like Albuquerque, New Mexico were warmer and drier than normal.
Record Rainfall in 2009 Sets New Weather Records
Eastern Iowa cities such as Cedar Rapids, Iowa received over 6 inches of rain on August 27, 2009 putting their August rainfall over one-inch higher than the previous August record rainfall and over 10 inches above the August monthly average rainfall. In May 2009, Florida and Arkansas experienced their wettest May in history. While other states like Texas and parts of Wisconsin are experiencing extreme drought conditions.
Do New Weather Records Mean the Climate is Changing?
The NOAA Paleoclimatology Program revealed in their 2000 publication, “A Paleo Perspective on Global Warming” that the climate is changing. The publication reveals that the last decade is the warmest to date on record.
A quick search on the Extreme Weather Records Web site reveals that the number of weather records tied or broken from the beginning of the year through August 21 is at 66,512. The amount of weather records set so far in 2009 exceeds the amount of weather records set for the same periods in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Numerous weather records were also set in 2007 and 2008.
The number of weather records being broke in recent years may indicate that the climate is changing and with it so are long-term weather patterns. From cooler, wetter summers in the Midwest to the warmer, dryer summers experienced in Western parts of the country new weather records are being set at greater frequency.
As the year draws to a close, 2009 will be a year that goes down as one to remember in the weather record books. With El Nino in place for the Winter of 2009-2010, interesting weather conditions can be expected through the remainder of the year.
