Harder Rain, More Snow

Reported February 2006

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- If you don't like the weather now ... Just wait, huge changes could be in store. Some scientists predict severe weather events will be even more extreme over the next few decades -- more snow, harder rain, and hotter heat waves.

People everywhere are noticing the changes in climate. Susan Decker, from Broomfield, Colo., says, "It seems warmer. Not as cold. We don't get the snow anymore." Rob Topolski, from Paducah, Ky., says, "We also don't have not nearly as much snow as we used to in Kentucky." Abbie Pumarejo, from Augusta, Ga., says, "It just seems like every summer gets a little bit warmer."

Gerald Meehl, Ph.D., from the Climate and Global Dynamics Division at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (N-CAR) in Boulder, Colo., tells Ivanhoe, "We see the biggest increase in heat waves in the Pacific Northwest where we don't presently have heat waves."

Computer models based on nine different countries' climate data indicate every country will be hit with climate change throughout this century. Meehl says: "If extreme heat bothers you that can be a problem. It could affect your utility bill. You might have to think about getting air conditioning if you don't have it."

The potential effects are far reaching; the computer models have accurately simulated past weather events and now some experts believe these simulations of future climates are likely to be correct. Scientists, however, disagree on what can or should be done, but know something needs to be done.

N-CAR scientists expect the average global temperature to increase by three degrees over this century. Three degrees may not seem like a large amount, but in a heat wave, a three-degree difference could be dangerously hot for more people and create one-foot higher storm surges.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
1850 Table Mesa Dr.
Boulder, CO 80305
(303) 497-1174

For more information on meteorological science, contact:

The American Meteorological Society
45 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108-3693
(617) 227-2425
http://www.ametsoc.org

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