Saturday’s 111 Degree Weather Isn’t Because Of Climate Change

The hot one on Saturday brings up an awesome chance to learn how to talk about climate change.

I just roped you in a bit. Weather is about the conditions in short periods of time and climate is about weather behavior over longer periods of time. That's why a place that is always hot and humid tends to be a jungle, while places that are hot and dry tend to desert like.

As you well know, there's always a doofus who remarks on a snowy day, "well so much for global warming". Just like that is idiotic, so is saying that one day of hot weather proves climate change.  For all anyone knows right now, the rest of the year could be below average.

None of this is to say that I don't believe in climate change or that we should do what we can to fight it, but the first step in doing that is smacking down the b.s. from both sides of the fence.  Once again, it's very true that average temperatures and climates are getting warmer and wacky weather is happening where it hasn't happened before, but one day of intense heat or intense cold proves nothing.