In February 2017 To Date: 3,146 Record High Temperatures, 27 Record Low Temperatures In US

[hatrack]

California's biblical deluge has occupied many a meteorologists’ mind this February. But another notable story is unfolding across the eastern U.S. Unseasonable warmth has kickstarted spring up to a month early in the Southeast, cut into already paltry Great Lakes ice cover and created skiing conditions more reminiscent of April in the Northeast. But the most outstanding aspect of the persistent February warmth is what it has done to the ratio of record highs to record lows.

There have been 3,146 record highs set for the month-to-date compared to only 27 record lows, ensuring February will go down as the 27th month in a row with more highs than lows. The astonishing 116-to-1 ratio of highs to lows would easily set a record for the most lopsided monthly ratio in history. There have also been 248 monthly record highs and no monthly record lows.


Record highs are outpacing record lows in February 2017 at a record-setting pace.

“If the eventual ratio is above 50-to-1 this would be historic,” Guy Walton, a meteorologist who tracks record temperatures, said. The increasing ratio of record highs vs. record lows is one of the hallmarks of climate change. By raising the baseline temperature, climate change has made it more likely for record highs to be set while decreasing the odds of record lows. In a world that wasn’t warming, that ratio would remain constant right around 1-to-1, but research has shown that hasn’t been the case with highs outpacing lows more and more with each passing decade.

EDIT

There has been a huge geographical spread of warm and downright hot weather stretching across the U.S. The latest bout of warm weather has seen Milwaukee reach 71°F, Madison hit 68°F and Green Bay crack 65°F on Wednesday. All are February records and about 30°F above normal for this time of year. Galveston, Texas also set a daily record on Thursday at 76°F, the seventh time that’s happened this month. Memphis airport set a record topping out at 76°F, and well, the list goes on.

Link to tweet

EDIT

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/record-high-temperature-february-21186

[Dustlawyer]

1. I live an hour and a half from Galveston, but an hour from the coast.

We have had the warmest winter anyone can remember. My plants started blooming two months early. This has caused an early crawfish season and messed with rice farmers. Hay farmers are loving it, but what does this mean for the summer? It is already a blast furnace here in July/August.

This also means the flesh eating bacteria will be in beach waters all summer again. Sucks to have a beach where it is unsafe and unsanitary to get into the water with all of the fecal material, chemicals/fertilizer.

Now we are going to get rid of the regulations that exist, but not been enforced due to lack of funds in the regulatory agencies. I bet the Koch Bros., refinery 30 minutes away will be spewing toxins overtime now!