Making A Difference

Climate Changes and the Impact on Seasonal Weather

Change is an ongoing and necessary process. Unfortunately, our planet is now undergoing a change that is not positive.  

Here on our blue marble of a planet called Earth, we are lucky that our planet’s tilt and our oversize moon keep our seasons pretty consistent. Lately, our climate has been changing, and not necessarily for the better. Between flooding in the southern US and places like Pakistan, severe drought in the US West, and rising sea temperatures, our climate is changing and we are feeling the negative effects.  

As your partner in health and wellness, Health Products For You can explain how these climate changes can impact the seasonal weather we have grown accustomed to and how it affects you!           

What Is Seasonality? 

In North America, we’re used to having four distinct seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. This has a lot to do with our distance from the sun and the approximately 23° tilt of Earth. Our large moon regulates tides and if all goes well everything runs smoothly.  

Seasonality refers to events that re-occur regularly and are related to the seasons. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identifies a few events/processes that are seasonal:  

Rising temperatures at the end of winter 

• Blooming of flowers in the spring 
• Allergies during ragweed season 
• Falling leaves in autumn 
• Snow 

Climate change has changed not only temperatures but some aspects of seasonality. There are three major ways the EPA says climate change affects seasonality. They are: 

1. Timing: This is when a seasonal event changes during the year. This can mean premature snowpack melting and shifting water availability from when farmers may need it. 
2. Duration: The length of a seasonal event can be altered by climate change. This can mean longer growing seasons but longer stretches of allergy season. 
3. Variability: Changes in intensity/frequency of seasonal events are impacted by climate change. This can mean more frequent and stronger hurricanes or drier, longer wildfire seasons. 

Indications of Climate Change 

To some, climate change is obvious, while others are a little more dubious. Scientists have observed that man-made climate change is warming the planet. This can lead to warmer seawater, leading to greater ice melting and stronger hurricanes/typhoons. Not to mention the frequency with which they occur.  

Humans are affected in many ways, including higher electricity bills for air conditioning, spreading diseases like Lyme disease, and increasing insurance premiums for flood-prone areas. The EPA points to several indicators of climate change: 

• Rising Temperatures: Since 1901, the average temperature in the US has risen with an increase in warming during the last 30 years. It’s no mistake the top 10 warmer summers have all occurred since 2005. 
• Seasonal Temperatures: As the globe heats up overall, average temperatures increase during the year, but increases may be larger during certain seasons. Since 1896 winter temperatures in the US have increased by 3°F and spring temperatures, have increased by 2°F. Both summer/fall temperatures have increased by 1.5°F. 
• High & Low Temperatures: Since the 70s, unusually hot summer days have increased while unusually hot summer nights have increased at an even faster rate. Not great for comfortable sleeping! 
• Heat Waves: Major US cities are experiencing heat waves at approximately three times the rate than during the 1960s. That can mean six heat waves instead of two lasting longer while more intense. 
• US/Global Precipitation: Total annual rainfall over land has increased globally. Since 1901, rainfall amounts have increased by 0.2 inches per decade in the US, but with changing climate patterns, the Southwest of the US is experiencing less precipitation than normal. 
• Tropical/Heavy Precipitation: As the climate changes, a higher percentage of rainfall is in the form of heavy downpours. This also includes the frequency of hurricanes or typhoons, or other tropical systems. This can lead to flooding and homeowner costs due to flood insurance increases. 

Whether we want to believe it or not, the climate on our little blue planet is changing. Things are warming, melting, and making storms more costly and frequent. This also leads to a direct impact on our health and well-being, not to mention our pockets. 

 

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