Extreme Heat in New England: Record Warmth in August 2022
Record warmth enveloped parts of New England last month.
It often felt as hot and humid where I live in central New Hampshire as it did in central New Jersey, where I lived for 40 years.
Concord in New Hampshire endured 14 days with highs of at least 90 degrees Fahrenheit — its highest August total on record, according to the Northeast Regional Climate Center. That topped Hartford’s 13 days and Boston’s 11 days.
Meteorological summer (June through August) was also quite warm in many New England areas.
More August 2022 climate highlights from the National Weather Service and Northeast Regional Climate Center:
— Concord had its warmest August on record (tying August 1872). Record-keeping began there in 1868. Manchester, New Hampshire, had its warmest August since 1885 (there’s no data for numerous years).
— Worcester in Massachusetts, Hartford and Providence, Rhode Island, had their warmest August on record. Portland and Augusta, Maine, had their second warmest.
— Hartford had three days in August with lows of 75 or higher, tying its record for any month on record.
— Providence had 10 summer days with highs of at least 95 degrees. That tied its highest total for the season.
With climate change, we can expect significantly more heat — day and night. In Concord, New Hampshire, for example, maximum summer temperatures are projected to rise 2.4 degrees from 2010 to 2039 under a low greenhouse gas emissions scenario and 2.6 degrees under a high emissions scenario (compared with 1980 to 2009 temperatures), the New Hampshire Climate Assessment 2021 by the University of New Hampshire says. Minimum temperatures in the summer are projected to rise almost as much.
By the end of this century, these temperature increases could roughly double or quadruple, depending on whether emissions are low or high.
More data and images, including two of my recent photos in the Newfound Lake area of New Hampshire:
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Photos at Serene, Colorful Lees Pond in Moultonborough, New Hampshire
Cool Clouds, Sunset at Newfound Lake in New Hampshire After Storm
Hurricanes and Tropical Storms in New England, With the Chances of Them Coming Within 50 Miles
Nor’easter Winds Gust to 94 mph in Massachusetts, Higher than Superstorm Sandy in New Jersey
