Global climate change

Extreme U.S. Weather and Climate Change

7/04/2012, 10:25:08 AM

Extreme weather and large, deadly wildfires have been making headline news in the U.S. recently. Is this just coincidence/fluke, or is there something more to it? Is climate change to blame?

Dr. Kevin Trenberth, who is a Distinguished Senior Scientist in the Climate Analysis Section at the National Center for Atmospheric Research voiced his opinion in a recent video interview with PBS' Judy Woodruff. Video courtesy of PBS and YouTube.

What do you think of Trenberth's comments?

I will add.....In terms of U.S. wildfires, the season did get off to an early start and there have been some very large fires, but statistically, the U.S. is still running well behind the 10-year normal this season (through this date) in terms of the number of fires and slightly behind in terms of acres burned. See here.

However, with the heat expected to build west and the continuing bark beetle situation with the trees, the number of fires and acres burned could still easily end up above normal at the end of the season. Time will tell.

Also, June 2012 was not nearly as warm (relative to normal) compared to May in the U.S. as the Pacific Northwest and the East Coast averaged near to below normal. The heat was concentrated in the Rockies.

The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of AccuWeather, Inc. or AccuWeather.com

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