I opened the paper yesterday morning, because I’m still a paper opening guy, and the front page story discussed how forecasters predict higher than average temperatures for the next four months. This is on the heels of several days of record temperatures better than recorded in Naples. The headline read, “The heat is here to stay”.
What struck me is that we’re using the wrong language. Weather forecasters love to talk about normal, and whether we’re higher than lower than average for temperature, rainfall, and sunshine. But these “normal” temperatures are based on average temperatures over many many years. It’s historical data that no longer bears the same relevance. The old averages used to determine normal is not indicative of the expected temperature now, that’s historical data. The weather isn’t warmer than average… it’s warmer than it used to be.
NOAA and even local forecasters need to change the way they describe the changing climate. The weather is not hotter than ‘average’, the weather is just hotter now. The tides are not higher than ‘average’, the water levels are just higher now. The heat is here to stay, and not just for the next few months. Our weather terminology needs to reflect the new normal.
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