I can't believe it's January and warm enough to not need the heating on!

[Squabbledee]

I'm really thankful that this makes the energy bills easier but not so happy about what this means for global warming. If January is this warm, what will July '23 be like? 😬

The way I understand it (and I may well be wrong) is that climate change intensifies normal patterns and also makes them unpredictable.

So droughts are much more severe and long-lasting, rivers and lakes dry out and there is no consistent rainfall to replenish. Or, there is so much rain that everything floods, and then goes to drought again. Very bad for food crops.

Heat waves are much hotter and last much longer. Storms of all sorts are much more intense, damaging, and dangerous, as well as more frequent. Plus general warming to where formerly frigid areas like the arctic melt, and former ski resorts don’t get much reliable snowfall. And it seems like all of the above is accelerating much faster than anticipated.

ByTheGrace · Today 15:20
“You all must live in The Bahamas“

No, Lancashire. Can’t remember it ever being so warm in January, after two extremely hot summers. It’s alarming.

Yorkshire, and my towels only needed 10 minutes in the tumble drier after 3 hours on the line.

Mañanarama

“Yorkshire, and my towels only needed 10 minutes in the tumble drier after 3 hours on the line.“

It’s really worrying, isn’t it?
The difference between now and just 10 years ago is stark.

Well we know climate change is happening. Also it’s cold here, I’ve had my heating on as usual.

I won’t lie, I prefer it being warmer, but yes it’s worrying. We have snow forecast in a couple of weeks, but aside from that sub zero snap in December it’s been a mild, if grey, winter.

I've not had not to put my heating up at all today and I live in Scotland

30 years ago we returned from a hot honeymoon in early Feb and were amused to find ourselves back in our T-shirts in London in the first week of Feb. Since then there have been quite a few years since that I can remember where there is a lovely warm week or two in Jan/Feb, flowers start coming out and then whoosh, winter returns with a vengeance, it turns cold and we remember it’s winter.

I’ve just scrolled back in my photos to Jan last year and there’s a photo of my husband in the garden, shirt sleeved top and light trousers then a few weeks later it’s woolly hats and gloves.