Weather with Nor’easter Nick
By Nick Pittman
After two days where record warmth grasped the area, a lot of people are asking ” Is this extreme? Should we be concerned?”. The simple answer is that while it is rare to see 70s in February, it is not completely out of the ordinary. Going back to the late 1940s, we’ve seen our first 70 degree day of the year occur in February 14 times. Now, that’s not to mention the number of days we’ve seen it reach 70 in February of course, that’s more like 50. It’s very easy to blame “Global Warming” or “Climate Change” when we see weather out of the ordinary, however, you can’t do that. What’s going on with the climate has zero correlation with what’s going on with a specific day’s or week’s weather. It’s short term vs long term. Just because it’s very warm for a couple days does not mean it’s because of climate change. There’s a common misconception and my job is to set the record straight.
Looking at the data, we’ve seen no real large increase in the occurrences of 70 in February, so as it stands right now, I don’t see any alarm for concern. I’ve been labeled as a “Climate Change denier” in the past – and that can’t be farther from the truth. I believe the Climate is changing. I believe it’s been changing from the beginning of time and will continue to change until the end of time. No doubt about it. Our oceans are warmer so therefore the air around us is warmer as well. Again, no doubt about it. However, I do believe it is a cycle and we will one day head back the other way as the ocean streams that deliver warm water north are interrupted. I don’t know what man’s contribution is. I think it’s possible that we lend a hand in the warming process – but to what extent? I am all for sustainable living but I feel as though what’s going on has been politicized for too long. Let’s get back to talking about facts and not about “what could happen in 50 years” based on model data that has trouble getting the first 4 days of a 7 day forecast right. Just my two cents.
