Temperatures in the Twin Cities have been extremely warm, but in order to confirm this heating as being rural, Milan, MN was selected for analysis.  This location is known for it's long term consistency and is located 130 miles west of the Twin Cities and located in the rural part of western Minnesota.  Temperature analysis of this location demonstrated the exact same heating effect as the Twin Cities.  Here is the average yearly temperatures through 2017 demonstrating the same shift in warming beginning in 1996.

After a very cool April, May brought about massive heat into the region just like the 1936 Dust Bowl Era when we attained the highest and lowest temperatures on record.  Using 1921, 1933, 1934, 1936 and 2012 in comparison, the warmest May and June combination months on record, the following charts were constructed.  Out current model is mirroring the 1936 era, with the 1934 heat.  These charts demonstrate that our heat is not coming from extreme high temperatures, but a consistent and continual rise in the daily low temperatures.  This is the amount of energy retained through the night within the earth.  We are clearly surpassing the 2012 drought, but only time will determine the impact this will have on crop production.

Crop production is currently under stress in many parts of our nation.  Our current snow pack in the Rockies that brings us precipitation throughout our summers shifted in 2012 and is demonstrated in the above graph, Data from NOHRSC.  In 2011 the snow pack dropped to .1% in August, this year was one of the earliest now melting 2 weeks earlier than the 2004 to 2011 years. In the lower graph we can see the snow pack on April 1st and May 1st, the greater the disparity, the larger the flooding rains. This demonstrates the water source bringing in the 2008 and 2014 floods across the Midwest, and the flooding rains this year due to the increased snow pack and rapid loss.  With the majority of the snow pack dissipated the cooling summer rains will decline and the potential for increasing heat accelerates.

Years ago, I was young and naïve in a world so large, and I was so small. Sometimes I would think, how could I alter such a large world? Now that I am older the world seems so much smaller, and with so many people I now think, how could we not alter such a small world?