2006 sets heat record, more to come
2006 sets heat record, more to come
Wed Jul 19, 2006 5:15 PM ET
By Deborah Zabarenko
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The first six months of 2006 were the warmest, on average, since the United States started keeping records in 1895, and global warming is a contributing factor, a U.S. climate expert said on Wednesday.
July, August and September are forecast to continue the hot trend over most of the United States, including the vast area of the country west of the Mississippi River, as well as New England, Florida and southern Alaska.
Only Hawaii is expected to have below-average temperatures, according to the U.S. Climate Prediction Center.
The heat wave gripping much of the United States may be uncomfortable but it is not unusual, said Jay Lawrimore of the National Climatic Data Center.
"Every summer we do see periods of above-normal temperatures, and heat waves are not uncommon in the United States, in the Northeast or in other parts of the country," Lawrimore said by telephone from Asheville, North Carolina.
Heat readings this week topped 100 F (38 C) from California to Texas and South Dakota to Kansas.
In Washington, D.C., a heat advisory urging the elderly, the young and the disabled to stay indoors or go to municipal cooling centers was in effect, and commuter trains were moving more slowly to conserve power in response to the sustained high temperatures.
What is unusual, Lawrimore said, is to have a six-month period as warm as the period from January to June this year.
Global warming is not a definitive cause of this warmth, but is a contributing factor, he said. So is the drought that has extended to 45 percent of the United States, because extremely dry soil can lead to high air temperatures.
Yet another reason for the extended record-high average warmth is the jet stream's path, he said.
This upper-atmosphere pattern typically moves from west to east in a zigzag pattern that carries cool air down from the north to the continental United States. This year, the jet stream looks like a nearly straight line hovering somewhere north of the Canadian border.
"In January, we did not have intrusions of arctic air to the extent that we usually get. ... The very cold air was shut off and we had temperatures that were two degrees above normal," Lawrimore said. "And that goes for the other months as well."
© Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
Wed Jul 19, 2006 5:15 PM ET
By Deborah Zabarenko
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The first six months of 2006 were the warmest, on average, since the United States started keeping records in 1895, and global warming is a contributing factor, a U.S. climate expert said on Wednesday.
July, August and September are forecast to continue the hot trend over most of the United States, including the vast area of the country west of the Mississippi River, as well as New England, Florida and southern Alaska.
Only Hawaii is expected to have below-average temperatures, according to the U.S. Climate Prediction Center.
The heat wave gripping much of the United States may be uncomfortable but it is not unusual, said Jay Lawrimore of the National Climatic Data Center.
"Every summer we do see periods of above-normal temperatures, and heat waves are not uncommon in the United States, in the Northeast or in other parts of the country," Lawrimore said by telephone from Asheville, North Carolina.
Heat readings this week topped 100 F (38 C) from California to Texas and South Dakota to Kansas.
In Washington, D.C., a heat advisory urging the elderly, the young and the disabled to stay indoors or go to municipal cooling centers was in effect, and commuter trains were moving more slowly to conserve power in response to the sustained high temperatures.
What is unusual, Lawrimore said, is to have a six-month period as warm as the period from January to June this year.
Global warming is not a definitive cause of this warmth, but is a contributing factor, he said. So is the drought that has extended to 45 percent of the United States, because extremely dry soil can lead to high air temperatures.
Yet another reason for the extended record-high average warmth is the jet stream's path, he said.
This upper-atmosphere pattern typically moves from west to east in a zigzag pattern that carries cool air down from the north to the continental United States. This year, the jet stream looks like a nearly straight line hovering somewhere north of the Canadian border.
"In January, we did not have intrusions of arctic air to the extent that we usually get. ... The very cold air was shut off and we had temperatures that were two degrees above normal," Lawrimore said. "And that goes for the other months as well."
© Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
posted by Walking Contradiction at 8/01/2006 05:59:00 AM
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