COLUMBIA, S.C. — We have reached the triple digits 3 days already this summer in Columbia. 2022 is off to one of the hottest starts in the cities history. In fact, this summer is keeping up with some of the hottest summers on record.
While things have been hot, how does our changing climate play a role in our summer weather?
Thanks to data from our partners at Climate Central, we can see that since 1970 almost the entire United States has seen a warming trend when it comes to the summer months.
Locally here in Columbia we have seen quite the increase in our average summer temperatures. Above average days are occurring much more frequently over the past few decades. An increase of almost 40 days each summer. That means almost 2 out of every 3 days is now typically above average.
We know these hot days are occurring more frequently, but the days are also getting even hotter. Since 1970 our summers in Columbia have warmed almost 3.5 degrees.
The famously hot city has always been hot but these changes in our climate are making things just a bit hotter. More triple digit heat looks likely this week adding to hot start to the Summer, a trend that could continue according to the Climate Prediction Center for the next few months. Another trend to keep an eye on is the lack of rain. Drought is beginning to settle in and with not much rain in the current forecast, this could be an issue we will have to be dealing with more in the near future.