Climate Change Background Climate Change Today
Since the 1850's average global temperature has increased 1.5*F, however, changes are not uniform around the globe. In fact, some regions have actually cooled (e.g. the Southeastern U.S.). 
Other regions, especially those in the high-northern latitudes of North America and Europe are warming much faster than the global average. And it isn’t just temperatures that are changing. These changes in temperature are often accompanied by changes in the amounts and timing of precipitation, which can have an even larger impact on certain regions.
Regional assessments of climate change are beginning to become more prominent and help to point out different local predictions and specific regional impacts. The graphic below is an adaptation of the summary provided in the report Indicators of Climate Change in the Northeast 2005 recently published by Clean Air-Cool Planet and The Climate Change Research Center, UNH.
A previous report, the New England Regional Assessment (NERA) 2001, found similar trends. That study reported that in this region the climate has warmed an average of 0.7ºF and precipitation has increased by approximately 4% over the last century. These changes are not uniform throughout New England; for example the average warming for New Hampshire is nearly 2ºF. Temperatures during winter months have warmed more dramatically than summer months. This is reflected in the historical trends of snow fall at Pinkham Notch, NH.
Climate Change Today
