New England weather is fickle, but to this extent?

As early as the 1930s, the person on the street was discussing how “the weather wasn’t what it used to be.” How is your personal experience with the weather congruent or incongruent with what climate scientists are telling us?

Memories of the storms and extreme weather of our childhood are always exaggerated. Yet in my short 21 years living, I believe that we can see the difference in weather from previous years and decades that scientists have predicted. Just looking at the weather of the east coast of the United States over the past years, shows that we truly are in times of change. The Discovery of Global Warming by Spencer Weart highlights the seemingly contrasting changes I have noticed in the weather and storms throughout my childhood. The most basic difference is the warmer weather. This summer doesn’t stand out compared to other summers for its heat on land. The difference I’ve noticed is the water temperature. Going into the ocean in Massachusetts was a feat of strength with the typically extremely cold Atlantic waters, yet the past few years the water has seemed much warmer. Nowadays playing in the water doesn’t leave the swimmer with frostbite.

Another change is the intensity of storms. Anyone in the U.S. who was alive during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 or even the snowstorms of this past winter can attest that storms have become more severe. Weart discusses that the scientific community becomes more and more certain about issues such as worse storms, heat waves, etc.(193) As I’ve grown up, international news of weather has also peaked my interest. The heat wave in Europe in 2003 and the current famine in Somalia all stem from the truth that the world is not only becoming hotter but along with that are extreme storms year round. The scientists have been dead on with almost every prediction so far and even a young adult living in a temperate New England has noticed the difference.