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Category Archives: History
When will we stop seeing 80F this year?
At the time of this writing, Madison is in its 6th straight day of temperatures at or above 80F and it is likely we will have one more to reach seven in a row. As recently as 2022, we have … Continue reading
Has it been unusually rainy so far this summer?
As we head into the last week of August, it is of interest to review aspects of this summer’s precipitation in Madison.
First of all, every one of the three traditional summer months has been wetter than normal with June, July, and August (through Aug 20) coming in at 0.26”, 1.55” and 2.02” above normal for a total surplus of nearly 4”. Continue reading
Does the Dept. of Energy’s latest climate report ring true?
The Trump Administration continues to double down on its naked denialism of the nature of, and threat posed by, human-induced changes to the global climate.
Late last month the Department of Energy released a 151-page report entitled “A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate.” This report was commissioned this spring and work on it was conducted from early April until late May with a May 28 deadline to deliver a draft. It was authored by 5 scientists who share a deep skepticism regarding the broad scientific consensus that industrialization has played a leading role in altering the chemical composition of our atmosphere in such a way as to encourage global warming, ocean acidification, increased wildfire threat and an increased risk of high impact weather systems in all seasons. Continue reading
How is rainfall intensity changing?
NOAA maintains observations of temperature and precipitation extremes in the U.S. The data indicate that cold extremes in the U.S. have become less frequent. Since the 1930s, there have been many more record-high temperatures compared to record-low temperatures. With warmer … Continue reading
Who conducts the National Climate Assessment?
The U.S. National Climate Assessment is mandated by the Global Change Research Act of 1990. The assessment has been conducted about every four years since 2000 and is an authoritative scientific analysis of climate change risks, impacts, and responses in the U.S. The resulting report, mandated by Congress, explains how climate change affects every region of the U.S.
The nation completed its fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) in November 2023. The assessment results from an extensive process that includes internal and external review from federal agencies, the public, and external peer review by a panel of experts. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is the administrative agency for NCA5 and certifies that the report meets the standards required by the Information Quality Act and Evidence Act. Continue reading
