Has the city where I live gotten hotter? Does it rain more or has it gotten drier? Are there more days of extreme heat? In short, what's going on with climate change in my specific location?
"That is actually a very difficult question to answer," according to Dave Dzombak, professor and head of Carnegie Mellon University's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE).
The big picture of global climate change has been close to unanimously agreed upon by the scientific community, and, increasingly, by a majority of Americans: Earth is heating up, sea-levels are rising, and weather events are becoming more frequent and extreme. And while these broad patterns are well understood, the story of local climate change is more varied.
For instance, the average annual temperature today in New York City is more than four degrees warmer than at the beginning of its climate record in 1869. But just 300 miles east in Pittsburgh, things are actually cooler now compared to the late 19th century. And while Baltimore has seen an increase in precipitation, a short drive down I-95 to Washington D.C., environmental conditions are drier now compared to the beginning of climate records in those cities. When you zoom in past broad regions to focus on individual cities, "there are a lot of interesting stories," Dzombak said.