Our homes in Littleton, Colorado, and Columbia, Missouri lie in the same latitudinal belt of North America, where the four seasons of the year are fully developed. Of course, their elevations differ by 4600 feet and their climates differ due to that factor, their proximity to ocean water and the local geography (i.e. the high mountain barrier west of Littleton).
Nevertheless, in both regions of the Continent, the effects of global warming are becoming manifest. Hotter summers and milder winters are most evident as are less precipitation in Colorado and more in Missouri, the former leading to drought and wildfires and the latter triggering floods. And as I have reported in past entries to this blog, the peak autumn waterfowl migration seems to be occurring later in the fall at both locations, reflecting more prolonged open water across northern latitudes.
Indeed, in recent years, the weather in November has been more typical of that previously associated with October; warm days and cool nights have become the norm for much of the month. While November has traditionally been one of the snowiest months along the Colorado Front Range, that pattern seems to be changing as well. Perhaps my observations are purely anecdotal but the extremely active hurricane and wildfire seasons certainly lend support.
