The author of today’s post, Bill Chameides, is Chief Scientist at Environmental Defense.
Last week in our Suggestion Box we got this question:
I’ve compiled a NCDC state by state average temperature map and trends from 1895 thru 2006. 1998 was the warmest year, but years since then are showing either the same as 1998 or cooler in most states. How can I explain to people why average temps haven’t been warming EVERY year since 1998 instead of going up and down?
This is a good question, and one I get fairly often, so let me try to explain.