JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Weather is what you get. Climate is what you expect.
The Weather Authority forecasts cover many hot and cold days. Predicting the weather is a short-term forecast in contrast to looking at climate trends that represent average weather conditions over decades.
Recommended Videos
We know the climate is getting warmer from decades of temperature records. NOAA’s database of “climate normals” is being updated with the results expected to be released May 1.
When we mention whether a given day is unusually warm or cool, it has been based upon data from 1981-2010. The new averages will reflect the climate period from 1991 to 2020.
Climate normals provide the baseline for comparing U.S weather and climate to the recent past.
NOAA offers a sneak peek at how the new normals for precipitation will differ from the current normals covering 1981-2010.
New with this update will be additional monthly temperature normals for hundreds of U.S. stations with shorter 15-year averages. It will also be more comprehensive including not just temperature but a range of weather metrics.
For Jacksonville, the trend has been warmer and drier. In the last 10 years, four have ranked as the top warmest averages. The third hottest was in 2020.