Event Title
Searching for Western New York’s (WNY) Climate Change Signal
Start Date
31-10-2013 11:00 AM
Description
A long-term effort is underway to identify the climate change signal, if any, within Western New York (WNY). In this effort past trends are examined to reveal potential future scenarios. The data used are from National Weather Service (NWS) with sites located in Buffalo, NY and Rochester, NY. The data stretches back to the 1940’s, and includes raw data, 30-year Normals and weather records. Annual trends since 1940 show temperature increases over time, for both minimum and maximum temperatures, with the rate of increase steepening more recently. Winter and early spring (March) show the greatest warming trend. In addition, significantly more modern day daily heat records are broken (versus cold records) in the spring season. The summer season shows little change in temperatures and the fall season, notably October, is trending toward cooler temperatures. WNY’s precipitation has increased since 1940, increasing at a greater rate in the summer and fall. The number of precipitation days has also increased with days of lighter precipitation shifting from winter and spring to summer and fall, and days of heavier precipitation increasing at a greater rate in summer and fall. Snowfall shows an increasing trend since 1940, with most of the increase trending toward the winter. The increasing snowfall coupled with a warming winter suggests an increase in Lake Effect snow for WNY.
Searching for Western New York’s (WNY) Climate Change Signal
A long-term effort is underway to identify the climate change signal, if any, within Western New York (WNY). In this effort past trends are examined to reveal potential future scenarios. The data used are from National Weather Service (NWS) with sites located in Buffalo, NY and Rochester, NY. The data stretches back to the 1940’s, and includes raw data, 30-year Normals and weather records. Annual trends since 1940 show temperature increases over time, for both minimum and maximum temperatures, with the rate of increase steepening more recently. Winter and early spring (March) show the greatest warming trend. In addition, significantly more modern day daily heat records are broken (versus cold records) in the spring season. The summer season shows little change in temperatures and the fall season, notably October, is trending toward cooler temperatures. WNY’s precipitation has increased since 1940, increasing at a greater rate in the summer and fall. The number of precipitation days has also increased with days of lighter precipitation shifting from winter and spring to summer and fall, and days of heavier precipitation increasing at a greater rate in summer and fall. Snowfall shows an increasing trend since 1940, with most of the increase trending toward the winter. The increasing snowfall coupled with a warming winter suggests an increase in Lake Effect snow for WNY.