Why So Warm?
Record Temperatures Cause Questions Across The United States
It has recently been noticeably warmer across Northeast Ohio, especially during the end of February and now into early March. But why so? The first thought that may come to many people’s minds would be that the hot temperatures are a product of climate change and global warming. And to a large extent, that would be correct. It would be ignorant to not take into account climate change when analyzing the abnormally warm temperatures. Noticeable changes in the Earth’s climate and temperature have occurred during the past decade. The average global temperature in 2021 was 3.8 degrees warmer than the average global temperature in 1875. The emission of carbon and deforestation will continue to warm the surface of the Earth and is one factor to blame for the hot end of this year’s winter.
Although climate change is significant and must not be overlooked, the primary cause for the heightened temperatures is due to an ongoing El Niño pattern. This occurs when the surface waters in the Pacific Ocean are warming, and thus the Pacific jet stream pushes further south, but also further to the east. This means that the southern United States will ultimately become cooler, whereas the north will see warmer than average and drier temperatures. For example, in Orlando, FL, just 12 out of 29 of the days this past February were warmer than average. In comparison, Cleveland had hotter than average temperatures 22 out of 29 of the days in February. On top of that, Cleveland had an average temperature of 52.5℉ this past month where the average temperature for the month of February is 37℉. Thus, El Niño has played a significant role in the excessive warmth of Northeast Ohio. However, I remain concerned that El Niño is not the primary reason for this warmth, and that climate change in fact is.
What Does Cleveland’s Future Look Like?
It does not look like it is going to cool down all too much in the upcoming year. During March, April, and May, there will be a warmer-than-usual feel to our atmosphere for much of the northern US, with the south being closer to average. The summer months are going to be above average for the vast majority of the United States as well. The Rocky Mountains and the northeast will boast significantly above-average temperatures. In Cleveland, we’ll experience warmer than usual temperatures as well, something we have become accustomed to over the past few years. In the future months, hot temperatures will continue to settle over the United States. This is possibly a result of weather patterns, but ultimately, human contributions to the climate crisis may play a more significant role in why it is so warm.
