Environmental group says increased frequency of severe weather driven by climate change
Extreme summer weather — like the severe storms and flooding experienced recently in the Midwest and the heat waves felt across our nation — stems from climate change, the Woodwell Climate Research Center told reporters in a media briefing on Monday.
Locally in the Coachella Valley, residents like Linda Nowakowski found some relief from the severe heat under a park canopy with her grandchildren. “It’s really gotten to be much hotter than it has been in the last two years," she said. With little to no relief in the forecast, Linda is concerned for the elderly generation.
During the briefing, climate experts discussed how the warming of oceans contributes to these weather patterns. Unusually warm temperatures in the Pacific are driving temperatures up in the western United States and Alaska; meanwhile, higher temperatures also cause evaporation, leading to more moisture in the air. This moisture can create a ripe environment for severe storms.
"It's really quite astounding to see all of these areas of very warm ocean temperatures in almost all parts of the globe these days," Dr. Jennifer Francis of the Woodwell Climate Research Center remarked.
As ocean temperatures warm worldwide, the experts emphasized that these weather patterns will begin to become the new normal — and that it's up to local leaders to adapt local policy and infrastructure to this new normal.
