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How is my local weather related to climate change?

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	Weather and climate are two related but different things. The easiest way to understand the difference: Think of weather as short-term, daily or weekly changes in temperature, precipitation, etc. Think of climate as much longer-term – the average range of weather variations that can be found in a certain place. For example, the climate of the Midwest is generally suited to growing corn, soybeans, and wheat. There may be good years and there may be bad years, but most of the time we can at least get something to grow (in no small part because our climate allows us to). If our climate changes, our farming practices will have to change, too. From the current climate models it looks as if we will still be able to get things to grow, but what crops, and how much of them, is not yet known. Climatologists are very clear about telling people that variations in their local weather may not necessarily be related to larger shifts in climate change. Especially in a region like the Midwest which has crazy weather anyway, one wants to be very careful before drawing any conclusions. However, there are some connections that you may want to watch and consider. No matter where you live, your average daily temperature has recently risen. Eleven of the last twelve years rank among the 12 warmest years on record since 1850. The two warmest so far have been 1998 and 2005. In particular, average minimum temperatures have risen. For example, high temperatures during the day in the summer are not unusual, even decades ago. However, summer nights are not cooling off like they used to. Humidity is generally increasing as well. Another interesting shift that has occurred in many places – some areas are still receiving their average minimum rainfall, but the precipitation is occurring in unusually heavy amounts and/or at unseasonal times. In between, they suffer long periods with no moisture at all. Depending on where you live, many natural events are influenced by, if not caused, by climate change – wildlife intensity, droughts, hurricanes, increased storm surges, animal and insect breeding cycles, etc.
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