Some of you may know that normal temperatures are averages calculated over a 30-year period. The current “normal” period is 1981-2010, but that is due to change later this year when the climate records for 2020 are finalized after quality control and the new averages are calculated by NOAA. The new normals should be released sometime around May 2021. Because we are trading out the 1981-1990 period and bringing in the 2011-2020 period, we expect some changes in what the normals will bring. Bob Henson has an article in Yale Climate Connections that explains more about why we even have normals and how the shift of decades will affect the normals. From the maps in the article, you can see that most of the Southeast will appear to be getting warmer and wetter compared to the previous normal period. You can read it at https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2021/02/updated-yardstick-begs-question-whats-normal-in-a-changing-climate/.

As the 30-year normal period for the contiguous U.S. shifts from 1981-2010 (blue box) to 1991-2020 (red box), the 1980s will be dropped and the considerably warmer 2010s will be added. (Image credit: NOAA/NCEI)