Friday, September 17, 2010

Summer set records for nighttime temperatures

USA Today: This past summer didn't set U.S. records for just daytime temperatures but also for nighttime ones, posing a danger to the elderly and low-income people who depend on overnight cooling, a new study reveals.

At nearly one of four U.S. weather stations -- 278 out of 1,218 -- the average nighttime low temperatures for June, July and August were hotter than at any time since 1895, according to an analysis by the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. Record highs were set at stations in 37 states, including 40% of all those east of the Mississippi.

"Welcome to what might be termed the dark side of climate change," said Dan Lashof, director of NRDC's Climate Center. He said the summer's temperatures reflect a longer-term trend. "The long, hot summer of 2010 follows the hottest decade on record and more record high temperatures can be expected in the future as heat-trapping pollution continues to build up in our atmosphere."…

A bimetal thermometer, shot by 1-1111, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

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