NOAA will present new normal conditions, impacted by climate crisis 0:45
(CNN) - America's
weather is getting warmer, according to new weather normals released Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The current normals dataset, representing average temperature, rainfall, and rainfall from 1991 to 2020, highlights that most of the country has warmed compared to normals from 1981 to 2010, except in the center. -North of the country.
The western part is becoming drier and the east more humid.
These two parallel maps of the United States show the change in mean annual temperatures on the left (expressed in degrees Fahrenheit) and precipitation totals (percent change) between the new set of Climatological Normals, 1991-2020, and the previous set, from the period 1981-2010.
(Source: NOAA)
NOAA publishes weather normals every 10 years, reflecting data from the last 30 years.
Fairbanks in Alaska, which is generally seen as a cold place compared to the rest of the country, is now classified as a warm summer continental climate in the Köppen climate classification.
The average May temperature in Fairbanks rose to more than 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit), leading to it being reclassified from the sub-arctic climate category.
Summers would be longer due to global warming 0:42
"The Arctic is among the fastest warming regions and is warming twice the world average," according to the World Meteorological Organization.
advertising
In a warm summer continental climate, four months should average a temperature of at least 10 degrees Celsius, all months should average below 22 degrees Celsius (71.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and the coldest month has an average temperature below from the freezing point.
What is happening in the northeast?
In the Northeast, a heat wave is often recognized as high temperatures of at least 32.2 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) for three or more consecutive days.
The city of Washington now has a 22-day average of 32.2 degrees Celsius.
In the previous normals for the 1981-2010 data, high temperatures in Washington peaked at 31.7 degrees Celsius (89 degrees Fahrenheit) for 16 days.
They never reached an average of 32.2.
Annual United States temperature compared to the 20th century mean for each Weather Standards period from 1901-1930 (top left) to 1991-2020 (bottom right).
Places where the normal annual temperature was 1.25 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler than the 20th century average are dark blue.
Places where the normal annual temperature was 1.25 degrees or warmer than the 20th century average are dark red.
(Source: NOAA map based on analysis by Jared Rennie, North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies).
In other cities in the northeast, temperatures are also increasing.
In New York and Boston, average high temperatures in the summer increased slightly.
The 15-year short-term average is even higher than the 30-year benchmark average.
The three-decade window of observations is considered long enough to compensate for any variation that might be expected from one year to the next.
However, with so many weather extremes in recent years, fueled by human-caused climate change, the short-term average was added for the first time to represent a period closer to the current one.
Despite rising temperatures in New York City, the average snowfall increased by nearly 6 inches.
Annual rainfall in New York also increased overall.
This is how NASA studies climate changes on Earth 2:36
In Atlanta, the city averages 20 highs of more than 32.2 degrees Celsius in the summer, taking the 15-year average compared to the new baseline average.
Chicago shows a major change in temperatures.
The temperature rose more than 0.5 degrees Celsius (1 degree Fahrenheit) with the new average.
Salt Lake City's average temperature also rose dramatically, 0.5 degrees Celsius, and the 15-year average shows an even warmer average temperature that reflects more recent weather conditions.
Changes in temperatures (and rainfall) in Los Angeles
In a city like Los Angeles, the average high temperature dropped, while the lows increased slightly, thus reducing the daily temperature variation.
These warmer nights can make the hottest periods of time more dangerous because your body cannot cool itself as effectively.
In Los Angeles the decrease in rainfall is more remarkable.
In winter, which is typically the wet time of year in Southern California, the city had a slight increase in rainfall from 1991 to 2020 compared to 1981 to 2010. However, the short-term average is more 5 centimeters smaller than the new mean.
This shows how in more recent times the rainfall in the city has decreased.
Forest fire season is approaching 1:12
This is seen in other parts of the west, including San Francisco and Phoenix.
Drier and generally warmer weather fuels longer wildfire seasons.
CNN's Judson Jones and Brandon Miller contributed to this report.
Climate change NOAA
