Meteorologists, such as Ron Childers, say global warming may cause sudden drastic chnges between seasons.
While Memphis experienced another warm December last year, research shows that what seems like an unusually warm month was not the exception during the past several years.
Despite some of the warmest Decembers Memphis has seen over the last several years, Dorian Burnette, a University of Memphis earth science professor, said although the season overall might be weaker, it cannot entirely disappear.
“Winter is not going to go away,†Burnette said. “Each year is going have its noise (unpredictable weather) associated with it.â€
With the general climate change developing, Burnette said there will be fewer cooler events and more warm spells. Normal weather workings can cause events like hurricanes to form, but global warming influences key weather variables such as the air being able to hold more moisture.
“It is a complex thing because there are a lot of different weather variables that go into that, climate change is going to influence them all differently,†Burnette said.
Climate scientists say weather phenomena may behave differently in the future due to climate change, such as a change in tornado alley locations or more severe wind storms.
“The weather is on steroids,†Burnette said. “You are not going hit a home run every single time just because you’re on steroids, but it’s certainly going to influence your statistics overall.â€
Meteorologists, such as Ron Childers, say global warming may cause sudden drastic chnges between seasons.
According to Ron Childers, the chief meteorologist at WMC Action News 5, the final month of 2018 had an average temperature of 45.6 degrees, a figure that sits just two degrees above the average of 43.6 degrees for Memphian Decembers, as calculated by the National Weather Service.
“Overall, the perception that it was warmer was really the main thing,†Childers said.
December 2012, as well as December 2014 through December 2016, have all been warmer than normal, with December 2015 finishing as “one of the warmest months of December on record for the Mid-South†at 54.1 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
“Keep in mind we live in a subtropical zone,†Childers said. “What that means is that it’s warm and it’s humid in this part of the country. This part of the country wants to be warm and humid.â€
December marks the beginning of meteorological winter, throughout which the jet stream goes further south and colder Canadian or Arctic air comes into the area.
Last month, sea temperatures in the Gulf of Alaska were much warmer than average, Childers said, and the jet stream went further north, making the Memphis area a little warmer than average.
“There are some noticeable differences taking place in climate here in the Mid-South, around the country and in other parts of the world,†Childers said.
Climate scientists cannot predict how extreme weather events are going to develop in the future. Burnette said research takes time, as one can only analyze a certain weather event and its causes after it has occurred.
Meteorologists, such as Ron Childers, say global warming may cause sudden drastic chnges between seasons.
Childers points out that people tend to think of global warming as the temperatures getting warmer all the time.
“You can have sustained warm periods, but you can also see radical changes in temperatures that bring in significant cold periods,†Childers said.
Childers said global warming can cause major shifts in weather between the seasons instead of easing from one to the next. He also said dressing for class is getting more complicated.
“During winter, make sure you’ve got warm clothes and a pair of flip flops and a T-shirt and shorts at hands at all times,†Childers said. “You never know what you’re going to need.â€
