Latest news with #ShelWinkley
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Summers heating up locally and across the country
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – It was a gray and cool day on Wednesday, but Memorial Day weekend is almost here, which means summer is just around the corner. Even though it may not feel like it right now, Memorial Day signifies the unofficial start of summer. It's the end of May, and temperatures are running around ten to 20 degrees below normal. We're also not seeing much in the way of sunshine either. Drought conditions improve in western Massachusetts due to recent rainfall Even though it's cool now, temperatures will be warming up, especially as we head into June and it starts to feel more like summer. According to Climate Central, summers are getting warmer across the country. 'Since 1970, summer temperatures have risen 97% in over 240 U.S. cities by an average of 2.6 degrees Fahrenheit,' said Climate Central Meteorologist Shel Winkley. From 1970 to 2024, summers warmed by two degrees in the Springfield area. We're also seeing an increase in the number of hot summer days. In Springfield, we are currently expecting 11 days with above normal temperatures during the summer. Hotter summers can lead to a number of health risks. 'And in this warming climate, the risk of heat-related illness, poor air quality, and deadly heat waves are growing,' Winkley said. 'Not only just for the U.S., but for billions across the globe.' In the last nearly 55 years, the southern and western parts of the country have seen the highest increase in summer temperatures. June 1 is the meteorological start of summer, and the official start of summer is on Friday, June 20. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Scientists make concerning finding after studying increase in deadly tornadoes: 'We've seen more tornadoes shift'
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Severe storms are becoming more intense — and happening in more widespread clusters. Scientists are investigating why tornado season is arriving earlier and with greater force. The reason may be boiling just off the U.S. coast. What's happening? Citing research by the Climate Change Institute, CNN reported a concerning trend: Intense tornadoes and severe storms are occurring much earlier than usual in the United States in 2025. April has hardly passed, yet nearly 500 tornadoes have already been reported, surpassing the average of fewer than 300 tornadoes typically observed in the same period in previous years. What's more concerning is that tornadoes are forming more frequently in widespread clusters. The CNN report cited three massive tornado outbreaks that happened in three consecutive weeks from mid-March to early April, with each outbreak spawning approximately 50 to 130 tornadoes. Early investigations suggest that warmer sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico may be a key factor. When warm, moisture-rich air from the Gulf slams into cold air from up north, the clash fuels powerful storms. Data from the Climate Reanalyzer shows that in mid-February the Gulf reached a daily average surface temperature of 24.4 degrees Celsius — the highest on record for the month. Since 2015, the Gulf's average surface temperature has also stayed unusually high. This sustained heat may be contributing to stronger storms year after year. However, scientists continue to investigate other factors that may also be impacting the unusual conditions we're experiencing today. Why are severe weather patterns concerning? Experts suggest that more severe weather events should be expected. Warmer Gulf waters are not only fueling storm surges but also changing where tornadoes are formed. "We've seen more tornadoes shift specifically over portions of the lower Midwest down to the Deep South," Shel Winkley, a meteorologist from Climate Central, said. "So, as the climate warms, that's where the severe weather and these tornadoes are really moving to." Though extreme weather events such as tornadoes have always existed, scientists say rising global temperatures supercharge them, posing greater challenges to communities. What's being done about the increase in tornado outbreaks? Understanding how weather patterns and environmental changes are interconnected gives policymakers and scientists the evidence they need to push for action, including cutting carbon pollution, to help slow down or limit impacts in the future. While policy changes are important, everyday actions also matter. Individuals can contribute by saving energy, relying less on dirty energy, and cutting waste. Consider finding a solar panel solution via EnergySage. Taking public transportation or trading an old car for an electric vehicle can also make a difference. Support eco-friendly clothing brands and choose plastic-free options for your purchases. Storms may be getting more intense, but these small steps can make a big impact. Smart choices can help save lives and the planet. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Rising temperatures across all 50 U.S. states
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – It was another warm day across western Massachusetts Friday with temperatures getting up into the 80s. Data shows that temperatures have been rising in all 50 states. According to Climate Central, average temperatures across the country are about 2.8 degrees warmer than they were almost 55 years ago. Meteorologist Shel Winkley says, 'Since the very first Earth Day in 1970, every U.S. State has experienced warming temperatures. Today, levels of carbon dioxide and methane are more than 50 percent and 160 percent higher than they were in pre-industrial times.' In 203 cities they analyzed, the temperature has warmed by at least 2 degrees. Springfield has had a 3-degree increase in temperature since 1970. And in Massachusetts, the temperature has risen by almost 4 degrees. The research showed that Burlington, Vermont, was one of the fastest-warming cities across the country. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Spring in Massachusetts has warmed by approximately 2.5 degrees over the past 55 years
A Massachusetts National Guardsman conducts a prescribed burn behind S Range on Camp Edwards, Mass., on April 16, 2024. Prescribed burns help reduce the build-up of flammable debris to decrease the chances of wildfire. (U.S. Army Photos by Sgt. 1st Class Steven Eaton) Average spring temperatures across Massachusetts have warmed by approximately two and a half degrees Fahrenheit over the past 55 years, according to a new analysis. Suffolk County, which includes Boston, has seen the highest temperature rise, with an increase of 2.9 degrees, followed closely by Nantucket County at 2.8 degrees, researchers at Climate Central, a nonprofit group of climate scientists and communications experts, have found. Franklin County, Norfolk County, Worcester County, and Middlesex County all warmed by 2.6 degrees – a trend that can lead to an earlier and more intense fire season, contribute to drought, prolong seasonal allergies, and alter the growing season. Climate Central analyzed monthly temperature data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – the federal agency tasked with predicting and monitoring weather and climate – in the months of March to May from 1970 to 2024 to find the average change in temperature over those 55 years. 'We continue to burn coal and oil and methane gas and put this heat-trapping pollution into the atmosphere,' said Shel Winkley, a meteorologist with Climate Central. 'That is the reason that we're seeing the temperature shifts both in the wintertime, which is the fastest shrinking season for most of the country, and the springtime, which we're seeing arrive earlier for most of our locations across the country. All of that ties back to the heat traffic pollution that we put into the atmosphere.' The Paris Agreement has set a goal of not exceeding a maximum global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius past pre-industrial levels, but last year was the warmest year on record and breached that threshold for the first time. This does not mean that the 1.5-degree warming mark has been permanently crossed, but this is a warning sign, Winkley added. Massachusetts experienced a particularly severe fire season last fall, with more acres burning in October and November than in the two years prior. Drought conditions, worsened by higher temperatures, have made it easier for wildfires to ignite and spread, experts say. David Celino, chief fire warden at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, said that the data on the warming of the spring season corresponds exactly with the experience of fire managers across the northeast. As warmer temperatures melt snow earlier, surface vegetation – leaves, pine needles, and grasses dry out faster, leaving them more susceptible to burning. 'It's not surprising and it maps so well,' said Celino. 'There's a common feeling that our spring fire is now starting earlier in March than it traditionally used to, and part of that reason is going into spring with warmer temperatures or sort of warmer environment.' This month, fires have been reported in areas like the Cape Cod region where the snowpack has melted, according to Celino. When the 'snowpack' melts faster than the ground thaws, the water from the snow is less likely to be absorbed into groundwater or go into nearby bodies of water which in turn leads to fewer water stores for later in the year. 'Higher temperatures contribute significantly to drought because the water that falls evaporates more quickly,' said Julia Blatt, executive director of Mass Rivers Alliance. 'So then, you've got dry soils and dry streams, and when there is rainfall, less of the water makes it into streams or groundwater or lakes or ponds.' Some cities and states in the country have experienced much more dramatic warming with average spring temperatures jumping 6.8 degrees in Reno, Nevada, 6.4 degrees in El Paso, Texas, and 6.1 degrees in Tucson, Arizona. Jennifer Francis, a senior scientist at Woodwell Climate Research Center on Cape Cod, said that due to climate change, there is bound to be 'more volatility and more surprises' when it comes to extreme weather events across the globe. 'This is still very alarming,' said Francis. 'It's not unexpected. It's not a surprise. But it really should be ringing alarm bells in everybody's heads more than it is. Even though the temperature or change seems really small, we're already seeing the impacts of this warming happen across the globe and in very different ways but all very devastating to the people who live in those communities that are affected.' This article first appeared on CommonWealth Beacon and is republished here under a Creative Commons license. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
