Here in Ohio, inconsistent weather is fairly normal. Even so, it has been exceptionally cold (and snowy) this past week, especially considering that the week before had days that were in the 70s. A lot of us have been conditioned to expect such highly-fluctuating weather, but is this how it has always been? Is inconsistent weather supposed to be normal?

It seems counterintuitive that global warming would actually cause the weather to be colder sometimes. But the truth is that global warming does not immediately cause hotter weather so much as erratic weather. But in Cleveland (and Lakewood), some of the erratic weather could also be attributed to snow and rain coming from Lake Erie. It can be hard to tell these two factors apart.

One thing is for certain: global warming will affect Ohio in the future. The NOAA predicts that drastic changes could come into play as early as the year 2100. The overall temperature of the state is expected to rise up to 15 degrees from the average in the late 20th century. That would put our average temperature close to what Texas and Louisiana experience today.

As well as this, there will probably be an increase in rainfall, and an increase in flooding. As well as flooding being disastrous to homes, it will also probably be harmful to crops. And a smaller crop yield every year will cause all sorts of other problems.

More natural disasters and difficult weather in the years to come is a given due to global warming, no matter where you live in the world. But when we can see the unfortunate effects of climate change right in front of us, it should definitely spur us to act.