But in many homes, there's a vast difference between the temperature at the thermostat and the temperature in far-flung bedrooms.
Thousands of threatened flying foxes have dropped dead due to heat stress brought on by extreme temperatures in far north Queensland this week.
The 8-14 day outlook (Aug 17-23) slightly favors above-normal temperatures in far northern NY and slightly favors below-normal temperatures in southeast N, other areas can expect near-normal temperatures.
It is not about the theoretical impact of rising temperatures in far away places.
Temperatures in far northern latitudes are rising at twice the rate seen in more temperate zones, melting snow cover, and that could hamper Earth's ability to reflect heat, climate scientists said.
And the greenhouse gases that a coal-powered plant emits, regardless of where it might be located in the world, contribute to rising seas and warming temperatures felt in far away places.
To combust even a third to a half of the world's proven reserves of coal would — barring the widespread adoption of carbon-capture technologies — lead to a climate-destabilizing rise in temperature far in excess of 2 degrees C, according to recent studies.
The positive Arctic Oscillation is marked by low pressure over the Arctic Ocean, and it tends to produce strong winds and higher temperatures in the far north.
But hydrates form only under high pressure and low temperatures, and Carolyn Ruppel, director of the survey's hydrate research program, said water in the area was too shallow, and temperatures in sediments far too high, for hydrates to exist.
However, regional warming associated with El Niño has already caused very heavy rains and floods in Peru and Ecuador, after the sea surface temperatures in the far eastern tropical Pacific ocean rose to 2C or more above average during February and March.
It's hard to imagine how one might go about introducing herds of woolly mammoths in the near-future Arctic: If the mammoths make it into existence, will temperatures in the far north still be cold enough to sustain a habitat for them?
