U.S. Global Change Research Program’s (USGCRP) Climate Science Special Report (CSSR), which serves as Volume I of the Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4), describes current trends in the climate globally and for the U.S., and projects trends in temperature, precipitation, sea-level rise and Arctic sea ice for the remainder of this century.
Findings include:
Global and U.S. temperatures continue to rise
- The annual average temperature for the globe and the contiguous U.S. has increased 1.8 degrees F from 1901 to 2016.
- Sixteen of the warmest years on record for the globe occurred in the last 17 years; the last three years were the warmest.
Variability in temperature and precipitation is increasing
- Heavy precipitation has increased in intensity and frequency across most parts of the U.S. since 1901, though there are important regional differences.
- Heatwaves have become more frequent in the U.S. since the 1960s.
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