Climate Variability

Our climate is responsible for many types of extreme events, and communities throughout the Great Lakes are working to become more resilient to the impacts of a variable climate. Communities should be aware of climate trends and feel empowered to plan for greater resiliency to climate impacts.

TRENDS/IMPACTS

  • Global trends are more certain than regional trends
  • Natural variability plays a larger role at the regional scale.

RISING AVERAGE TEMPERATURES

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OBSERVED INCREASE IN FROST-FREE SEASON LENGTH

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OBSERVED EXTREME PRECIPITATION

The amount falling in the heaviest 1% of precipitation events increased by 37% in the Midwest and by 71% in the Northeast from 1958 to 2012.

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GREAT LAKES ICE COVERAGE

  Lake Superior