Climate Change, May 8

Temperatures along the Oregon Coast didn’t vary that much fifty years ago.  Summers were typically in the 60s, while winters dipped into the 50s.  Today, temperatures along the Oregon Coast can range from the 20s to 90s.  The National Climate Assessment report was recently released.  It addresses climate change and the impact on Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.  Temperatures, on the average, are expected to increase by 3.3-degrees by the year 2070 and 9.7-degrees by 2099.  The report also documents snowpacks in Oregon and Washington.  Since 1950, the snowpacks in the Cascade Mountain Range has decreased by 20-percent.  Global sea levels have risen about eight-inches since 1880, and are projected to rise one to four-feet by the year 2100.  Last year was the worst for wildfires on state-protected lands in Oregon in 60-years.  The report was prepared by 300 climate and weather experts under the guidance of a 60-member federal advisory committee.