JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Climate change is impacting Jacksonville, with recent high-temperature records keeping summer heat around longer into autumn.
An overwhelming number of record warm days outnumber record cold events in the city.
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This year heat is not only climbing to new record territory, but it’s extending later into the season.
For example, Tuesday was anything but a typical autumn day, with the temperature reaching 90° at Cecil Field. The Westside area was the highest temperature in the nation that day, but it the 87° at Jacksonville International Airport that actually broke a record.
Temperatures in Jacksonville have never been this warm so late in November, according to climate information dating back to 1871. First Coast daily record highs are vastly outpacing daily record lows because of global warming.
Warm and cold years balance over time without global warming but Jacksonville recently broke six record high’s in 2018 while not one record cold night was set all year.
In October, we saw summer heat lasting longer pushing fall temperatures later into the season.
Four records were broken that month, with a sweltering 94° on Oct. 17, marking the hottest day so late in the year.
Jacksonville’s most recent record low was set in 2017 when temperatures dipped to 28° on March 16.
Our city is not alone. The 2017 U.S. Climate Science Special Report shows, 15 of the last 20 years had more daily record highs than daily record lows.
A later first frost means disease-carrying pests, like mosquitoes and ticks, will persist longer before dying off in the winter.
Also, the growing season can flourish longer, extending the allergy season and worsening asthma conditions.