If it seems that summers here in Louisiana and across the country are getting hotter and hotter – well, you’re right. Shel Winkley, the chief meteorologist at Climate Central, says Louisiana’s average summer temperatures – accounting for both the daytime highs and overnight lows in June, July and August – have been steadily rising ever since records have been kept.
“What we’ve essentially seen is an average increase from 1895, of just about 81 degrees. Now we’re experiencing a warmer temperature of about 82.4,” Winkley noted.
Winkley says nationally, since 1970, the average summer temperature has risen two and a half degrees; and while that might not seem like a significant difference, it really is.
“Think about your body temperature: If your body temperature warmed two to three degrees, you’d be on the couch; you wouldn’t feel well,” Winkley said.
Winkley says humans have only themselves to blame for this, with all the coal, oil and methane gas that we burn.
“Essentially what that is doing is putting heat-trapping pollution into the atmosphere. Think about putting a big blanket over the earth that holds our heat in more,” Winkley explained.
More information can be found at ClimateCentral.org.
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