Across the United States, late spring is supposed to be a time of sunshine, flowers blooming, and warmer temperatures. But in New York, recent "high" temperatures have been anything but that.
What's happening?
On May 22, Newsweek reports, New York's Central Park broke a record for its coldest high temperature on that date.
The high on that day reached just 51 degrees Fahrenheit, three below the previous record, which was set in 1894. It's also below the average low temperature for May 22, which is 57 degrees.
The park's average high temperature for that date is 24 degrees.
The record-breaking day was just part of a chilly stretch of weather across the region, thanks to a rare springtime "Nor'easter" — a powerful storm that typically hits during the winter and can often cause blizzards.
National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Goodman told Newsweek the late-May storm and these cold temperatures were "pretty unusual."
Why are extreme temperatures important?
Although some critics and skeptics use cold temperatures as a way to denounce global warming, extreme colds are actually a common symptom of a changing climate.
As more polluting gases are released into the atmosphere, those gases trap more heat into our environment, which is why 2024 was the hottest year on record. As the planet warms, weather becomes more volatile, creating more extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and tornadoes.
That also includes extreme temperatures, both high and low. Yes, as odd as it sounds, extreme (but temporary) cold weather is a symptom of a permanently warmer planet.
What can I do about extreme weather?
As simple as it sounds, the best tool you can use to help combat extreme weather events is your brain.
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When was the last time you weatherized your home? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
This year 👍 The first step is to educate yourself on important climate issues and to understand what drives these extreme weather events. From there, you can have important conversations with friends and family, ensuring more people understand what is happening to our climate.
The next step is preparation. If you live in an area that could be impacted by any sort of extreme weather, be ready with an emergency kit and an evacuation plan, should you need to quickly leave your home.
You can also make sure your home is prepared — for example, by installing solar panels, and combining them with a battery system. This could not only cut your energy bill to nearly nothing, but it would also provide you with much-needed comfort and safety in case the power grid goes down. Even better, by comparing vetted, local installers via EnergySage's free service, you could save up to $10,000 on installation.
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