North Dakota residents have recently experienced some extreme and unpredictable weather.
Within the span of just a few days, records were broken throughout the state for intense heat, unseasonable cold, and heavy rainfall.
What's happening?
As the Argus Leader recently reported, North Dakota experienced a mid-May heat wave with record-breaking highs. Just a few days later, the weather shifted to produce record-breaking lows, lots of rain, and even small amounts of snow.
In Bismarck, for example, the high on May 12 was a scorching 97 degrees. The high on May 16 was a chilly 43. Both broke long-held records for unseasonably warm and unseasonably cold temperatures, respectively.
Record-breaking rains fell across the state during this same timeframe, according to the local paper. In Dickinson, North Dakota, 2.25 inches fell on May 15, breaking the previous record, set in 1982, by about 0.7 inches.
Why are record-breaking weather patterns significant?
Record-breaking temperature and precipitation statistics are notable as indications of our planet's increasingly changing climate.
These May days in North Dakota aren't reflective of an isolated incident but rather a prime example of climate patterns emerging all over the world. Unseasonably hot, cold, rainy, and dry spells are becoming more intense and frequent due to human-caused pollution. And these shifts can disrupt our planet's cycles, affecting the health and safety of people, animals, and plants.
What can I do to prepare for extreme weather?
Paying attention to the weather where you live and globally is an excellent way to recognize the broader impacts of emerging patterns on our overheating planet.
Extreme weather events, supercharged by rising global temperatures, can contribute to severe health complications for some, and the extended power outages that big storms often cause can exacerbate threats to well-being by making resources like air-conditioning inaccessible. Heavy rainfalls also have the potential to close roads and interrupt vital services.
To address these threats, experts often recommend focusing on both preparedness and prevention. Turning to renewable energy options can help community members do both.
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Definitely 🥰 By leveraging a clean energy source like solar power, for example, we can reduce the output of the heat-trapping gases that fuel Earth's extreme weather. When paired with a battery system, solar panels can also boost a home's resilience, providing power even when the grid goes out.
As another benefit, renewables can lead to cost savings on both mass and individual levels — not an unimportant feature as climate disasters can drive other costs up by damaging infrastructure and impacting grocery bills. Homeowners have the potential to reduce spending even more by using services like EnergySage's free tools to compare quotes from vetted local installers, with the possibility of saving up to $10,000.
Preparedness and prevention can also be strengthened in conversation with community members who can help keep each other safe by sharing information and resources and who can organize support for pro-environment policies to help mitigate the effects of extreme weather.
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