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Climate Friday | Average May temperature up 2.3 degrees in last 10 years

The early May heat wave northwest Ohio is experiencing this week is becoming more common in part due to climate change.

TOLEDO, Ohio — Did you enjoy the summer warmth this week? Even though the calendar says May, Mother Nature says summer! 

With near-record high temperatures all week, this weather has felt more like mid-July than early May. Spring heat will grow even more common in the future due to climate change.

Credit: WTOL 11

Though the entire calendar year is growing warmer, May in particular has gotten hotter due to global warming. The National Weather Service recently released a new set of climate normals reflecting the last decade of data accounting for thermometer readings through 2020. May has grown 2.3 degrees warmer, rising from 71 to 73.3. 

This warming trend has felt even more noticeable lately, with temperatures well into the 80s Tuesday through Friday. Wednesday and Thursday approached record highs, recording temperatures of 88 and 89, respectively. 

Credit: WTOL 11

Record temperature are growing more common, and eight of May’s record highs have been recorded in the last 15 years.

Though climate change is making spring warmth more common, it’s not the direct cause of every heat wave. Shifts in the jet stream bring on cold snaps and warm spells, and the current jet stream formation, known as a ridge, is attributable to the recent stretch of hot weather. 

Stay tuned to WTOL 11 to find out how much longer the summer feeling weather will stick around!

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