An August Cool Spell
I've posted plenty of times recently about the weather being hotter than past averages (and getting hotter). It's only fair that I share when the weather's cooler than normal, too. The past week or two we've seen slightly below-average temperatures around the area.
Here at my house it's been around 77° F (25° C) most afternoons recently. That's not a huge amount below the long term average of 81° F for this time of the year, but from a subjective perspective it makes a difference. It means we haven't had to run the air conditioner for a while. Balancing which windows are open or closed, when curtains are drawn or open, and judicious use of fans keep the house livably cool during the day. And at night it cools off enough that getting to sleep isn't a problem.
Now, when I point out that the weather's cooler than normal, even if just by a few degrees for 10 days to 2 weeks, I can pretty much hear the climate skeptics scoffing, "So much for global warming!" But just like one hot spell doesn't prove global warming, one cool spell doesn't disprove it. Global warming is about widespread and sustained trends versus long term averages. And even within a sustained, global trend of warming weather there's still room for a couple weeks of slightly-below average temperatures.
BTW, the forecast for today is 82°, so back to normal.
Here at my house it's been around 77° F (25° C) most afternoons recently. That's not a huge amount below the long term average of 81° F for this time of the year, but from a subjective perspective it makes a difference. It means we haven't had to run the air conditioner for a while. Balancing which windows are open or closed, when curtains are drawn or open, and judicious use of fans keep the house livably cool during the day. And at night it cools off enough that getting to sleep isn't a problem.
Now, when I point out that the weather's cooler than normal, even if just by a few degrees for 10 days to 2 weeks, I can pretty much hear the climate skeptics scoffing, "So much for global warming!" But just like one hot spell doesn't prove global warming, one cool spell doesn't disprove it. Global warming is about widespread and sustained trends versus long term averages. And even within a sustained, global trend of warming weather there's still room for a couple weeks of slightly-below average temperatures.
BTW, the forecast for today is 82°, so back to normal.