I'm not usually one to get jumpy about climate change. My liver will undoubtably fail before the water reaches my door. And, besides trusted figures like Rush Limbaugh and James Inhofe have assured me that global climate change is a hoax and that all is in God's hands. And I'd have to be pretty presumptious to argue with God. Well, in Maine today, most of us were praising the heavens. It was 83 degrees in Bangor Maine. A few thoughts below the orange squiggly of Satan.
History for Bangor, ME
Wednesday, March 21, 2012 — View Current Conditions
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
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Actual Average Record
Temperature
Mean Temperature 60 °F 33 °F
Max Temperature 83 °F 42 °F 64 °F (1946)
Min Temperature 37 °F 24 °F 2 °F (1986)
My boss came up to me this morning and told me that today the expected high would be 20 degrees above the record for this date. As you can see from this data from Weather Underground he was almost right. 19 degrees above the previous record high. Tomorrow the forecast high is 81 degrees, just 15 degrees above the previous record high.
For those of you not to familiar with Maine, this simply doesn't happen. It just doesn't happen. Never. Ever. March is a winter month for us. Ice fishing. Skiing. Snowshoeing. Cursing mud season's approach.
Today was hotter than the average highs in the Summer.
So, I enjoyed wearing shorts. Taking off my layers of wool and down. I stared at the sun like sun deprived Mainers like myself do. But, in the back of my mind, just like I said to my boss, and just like what I think when I reflect on my 8 year old and the planet he will inherit, I thought "we're screwed."