‘So how about this weather we’re having?’ is a question that has been asked many a time in these past few weeks. For many occupants of the midwest, an extraordinarily warm spring seems to already be indicative of summer. With temperatures that usually averages 46.5 degrees last year, this year’s weather presents a great contrast. At temperatures pushing the upper 70s and 80s, Iowa is experiencing weather “unlike any other this year,” KCRG meteorologist Kaj O’Mara said.

“Summer weather is very difficult to predict at this time, however, the records we have been breaking have come from the 1930s, late 1980s, and 1995,” O’Mara said. “These years tended to be warmer and drier than average.  It is very difficult to tell if a repeat may occur, but trends are pointing towards warmer than average conditions, and perhaps slightly drier at this time.”

Local meteorologists are not the only ones noticing a significant change in spring temperatures this year.

“I like it [the warmer weather]. It’s better than being cold,” said Mason Greer ‘12. “On the weather, it said that around this time is supposed to be around 40 degrees, so this year is a big change. It was kind of surprising coming back from Spring Break where it was warm, and here it’s just as hot.”

With such extremes, people are discussing past weather patterns and possible signs of global climate change.

“My thought is the warming cannot be fully contributed to that [global warming]. With the records falling from hot and dry years in this past, I can say there is probably some kind of cyclical thing to weather, in additional to anthropogenic [human-caused] warming,” said O’mara. “I cannot put the blame squarely on anything but it is likely a combination of the two, and probably even a few more factors. Alaska has had one of the worst winters on record in terms of snow and cold, and Europe has had the same.”

Given the knowledge of the midwest’s recent record-breaking temperatures, many are concerned what the upcoming summer has in store, and what this may mean for the future.

“While we can make comparisons to other years as a reference, it remains very difficult to determine if this weather is cyclical, or a new pattern,” said O’mara. “Regardless, most of us alive right now have not seen this, so forecasting from it is quite difficult.  When a lot of records fall at once like we’ve seen this year, your weather year tends to be very interesting weather-wise.  We can expect to see more extremes occurring.”

By Ethan Zierke and Harris Thompson

Photos by Kiera Zapf