Last updated October 15, 2021
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Eastern US Record Winter Heat February 2017

United States

From February 1 through 28, the US broke 5,452 daily high maximum and 4,686 daily high minimum temperature records, compared to 213 daily low maximum and 84 daily low minimum records.[1] This means there were 34 heat records broken for every one cold record. 

One of the clearest findings of climate science is that global warming has already dramatically amplified the intensity, duration and frequency of extreme heat events, including winter warm waves. In the US, increasing winter temperatures in particular are a signal of climate change. Due to global warming, the distribution of seasonal mean temperature anomalies has shifted toward higher temperatures and the range of anomalies has increased, leading to more heat records in every season. Seventy-five percent of the world's moderate heat events are now attributed to climate change.

Observed long-term trends towards shorter, milder winters and earlier spring thaws are altering the timing of critical spring events such as bud burst and emergence from overwintering.

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