Beltane Garlic Moon
source: Climate Central
WHAT WE KNOW
- On average, the US is 2 degrees F warmer than it was 40 years ago.
- This warmer world is increasing the odds of extreme precipitation,(20,21) in part because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, and release more of it during rainstorms and snowstorms.
- Heavy precipitation, both rain and snow, is happening more often than it used to.(10,4)
- Heat-related extreme events are on the rise around the globe. Manmade climate change significantly increased the odds of some specific events, including killer European heat wave of 2003(6)and the Russian heat wave of 2010.(12)
- Even small increases in average temperatures raise the risk of heat waves (6a, 6b), droughts(7)and wildfires.(8)
- Twice as many record highs have been set in the past decade as record lows, in the US. (9)
- By 2050, record highscould outpace record lows by 20 to one in the U.S. By the end of the century, the ratio could jump to 100 to one if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated.(9)
