Local Warming
An almanac
of American
climate change
Welcome
I created "Local Warming: An almanac of American climate change" because, while most Americans have noticed warmer weather and shorter winters, the nightly weather report usually doesn't give any context beyond the current heat wave, drought, torrential rains, or blizzard. Your city doesn't just have weather - it has a climate. And, if your city is like over 99 percent of the cities in this study, its climate history fits with the global pattern of warming. This website will introduce you to the contents of "Local Warming," a text I hope will play an important role in educating a nation desperately in need of climate action. -- Thomas Munro
Cities
"Local Warming" contains climate profiles of the 100 largest cities in the United States, along with the largest city in the 16 states not on that list. They show warming across the country, from Anchorage to Houston, from Honolulu to Portland, Maine.
States
To give greater context to the city numbers, both geographically and chronologically, "Local Warming" also contains temperature history of the 50 states, in most cases extending 123 years into the past. Every state has warmed significantly over the past 50 years.
Rankings
While "Local Warming" shows we are all being impacted by climate change, some parts of the United States are warming more rapidly than others. Local and national political action will inevitably be shaped by these realities, so a sober analysis of the facts is essential. A series of charts ranks the various city and state statistics gathered in "Local Warming."