CBS 21 Community

So how do you like these 60 degree temps in January?  Pretty cool, I think.  I had the t-tops off driving to work just yesterday!

It's been unusually warm but we haven't set a daily high temp record yet.  So that proves that while it's unusual, the warmth is not unprecedented.  And before you jump to the conclusion of Global Warming, keep in mind we've had 2 blizzards (about to be 3!) in the Midwest.  You can't call it "global" warming if it's colder and snowier in other  places.  It's easy to judge the weather just by what we see and experience everyday.  But weather is so much bigger than that.

So it looks like cold weather will start to return next week.  We still have a lot of Winter to go.  So dust off the shovel and wax up the skis, here comes winter '07!

Tom

Are you ready for a cool down?  Right on cue, Mother Nature will cool things down. Saturday is the Autumnal Equinox so it's about that time.

It's still not a dramatic cool down.  The coolest temps will be Thursday morning when we wake up in the 40's. 

We don't usually see our first killing frost until October 26th so we don't have to worry about the plants yet.  Just enjoy the pleasant days and cool nights!

OK, this past week was brutally hot.  But despite the hype (my own included), we set no records. 

So if your a fan of Global Warming, you'll be surprised to hear that 76 years ago was when a lot of our summer time records were set. Yeah, long before the superhighways, Mother Nature was heating things up!

During the Summer of 1930, 21 days were 100 degrees or above in Washington DC. It was also the beginning of the longest drought of the last century, the "dust bowl" that covered 2/3 of the U.S for several years.  Dry conditions promote higher temperatures.

If you look back in time, there appears to be a warming trend in the 30's, 40's and 50's.  Then a cooling trend in the 50's, 60's and 70's. And then warming again in the 80's, 90's and now.

The point is weather always seems to be cyclical.  Extreme swings in one direction seem to  even out on both small and large time scales. 

By the way, the Highest temp recorded on earth?  September 1922 in Aziziyah, Libia - 136 degrees!   Now that's a heat wave!

As a weatherman, we LOVE storms.  But after the last couple weeks, even I could use a break.  So instead of storms, here comes BIGTIME heat.  The hottest stretch of weather we've seen since last summer!  But heat is still kind of boring to report, especially day after day.  It actually makes my job harder as I have to come up with new and exciting ways to say "It's Hot." 

People forget that heat can be a killer, especially if you don't have access to air conditioning.  So check on your neighbors and friends and we sweat it out together!