Exploring the Changing Climate of Inland Washington and Northern Idaho, 1993 to 2022
Faculty Mentor
Stephen Tsikalas
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
10-5-2023 1:40 PM
End Date
10-5-2023 2:00 PM
Location
PUB 319
Department
Geosciences
Abstract
This study explores the available 30-year data sets, 1993-2022, for weather stations across inland Washington and Northern Idaho with the following questions in mind: 1) have the 30-year climate normals shifted in the most recent 30 years? The climate normals considered are monthly average maximum, average minimum, average temperature, and average precipitation totals. Spearman Rank correlation tests were used to determine any significant correlations for the temperature and precipitation variables over time. Scatter plots and trend lines were used to help determine directionality for variables with significant correlations. Tests highlight a general increase in minimum temperatures, enough to sometimes move the average temperatures higher despite maximum temperatures remaining generally the same. Precipitation has decreased primarily for the month of July suggests drier summers may be the new norm. Follow-up studies will seek correlations between warming summer months and human health and mortality rates.
Recommended Citation
Scoles, Alexander, "Exploring the Changing Climate of Inland Washington and Northern Idaho, 1993 to 2022" (2023). 2023 Symposium. 11.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2023/res_2023/os2_2023/11
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Exploring the Changing Climate of Inland Washington and Northern Idaho, 1993 to 2022
PUB 319
This study explores the available 30-year data sets, 1993-2022, for weather stations across inland Washington and Northern Idaho with the following questions in mind: 1) have the 30-year climate normals shifted in the most recent 30 years? The climate normals considered are monthly average maximum, average minimum, average temperature, and average precipitation totals. Spearman Rank correlation tests were used to determine any significant correlations for the temperature and precipitation variables over time. Scatter plots and trend lines were used to help determine directionality for variables with significant correlations. Tests highlight a general increase in minimum temperatures, enough to sometimes move the average temperatures higher despite maximum temperatures remaining generally the same. Precipitation has decreased primarily for the month of July suggests drier summers may be the new norm. Follow-up studies will seek correlations between warming summer months and human health and mortality rates.
