In one recent example of changing weather patterns throughout the globe, the city of Reutlingen, Germany, experienced 12 inches of hail and snow earlier in August.
Officials in the city, which is located in the southwest of Germany, described the event as a “localized storm with hail and heavy rain.” It took 250 firefighters and multiple snowplows to clean up the damage from the unexpected storm, which included blocked drainage systems and the Echaz River rising 5 feet and bursting its banks. ES Euro featured images here.
August is typically the warmest month in Reutlingen, with average temperatures ranging from 54.5 to 73.2 degrees Fahrenheit. The month of August typically brings no snowfall, according to Weather Atlas, as it is the height of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
As our planet continues to overheat, due in large part to the burning of fossil fuels, that can somewhat paradoxically result in increased snowstorms. According to an article in Scientific American, “warmer air can hold more moisture than cold air. … This increased atmospheric moisture is helping to intensify the water cycle. … In addition to more total precipitation over a season and year, the additional moisture also fuels extreme events, like more intense hurricanes and flooding rains.”
“Climate change can affect the timing, location, and amount of snowfall — as well as spring snowmelt patterns — in complex ways,” writes Climate Central.
The residents of Reutlingen were likely quite surprised to see 12 inches of hail and snow during the warmest month of the year. When it comes to changing weather patterns and extreme weather events, we can increasingly expect the unexpected, as our dependence on fossil fuels continues to wreak havoc on every aspect of life on our planet.
Luckily, some industries are beginning to move past fossil fuels and toward electrification in an effort to reduce pollution and help to save our planet.
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