Climate Change Chart of Augusta, USA

Overview of climate changes

Temperature changes

Averaged across calendar months, monthly mean temperature shows a difference of +0.86 °C compared with the earlier reference period; this is an unweighted comparison of monthly means, not a day-weighted annual average or a measure of daytime highs. The largest monthly increase was in December, with a difference of +2.21 °C. By contrast, November had the largest monthly decrease, a difference of -0.60 °C. These are month-specific comparisons and do not mean that temperatures moved in the same direction in every month.

Changes in sunshine duration

Mean daily sunshine duration averaged across calendar months had a difference of -0.34 hours/day, indicating lower average daily sunshine in the more recent period across the set of monthly means; this is not a day-weighted annual measure. The monthly pattern was not uniform: May recorded the largest increase, with a difference of +0.51 hours/day, while October recorded the largest decrease, at a difference of -1.24 hours/day. These comparisons concern average hours per day and should not be read as a change applying to every day within either month.

Changes in rainfall

Mean daily rainfall, rather than monthly rainfall totals, averaged across calendar months shows a difference of +0.24 mm/day in the more recent period; the figure is an unweighted mean of monthly comparisons. The largest monthly increase occurred in October, at a difference of +1.55 mm/day. The contrast is clear in November, where the largest monthly decrease was a difference of -1.01 mm/day. These monthly extremes describe daily averages for those months, not the total rainfall accumulated over them.

Changes in snowfall

Mean daily snowfall, not monthly snowfall totals, averaged across calendar months had a difference of +0.13 mm/day in the more recent period, based on an unweighted comparison of monthly means. The largest monthly increase was in December, with a difference of +2.93 mm/day, while the largest monthly decrease occurred in January, at a difference of -1.32 mm/day. These daily-average differences highlight contrasting month-specific changes and do not imply that snowfall increased or decreased consistently throughout the year.