This is why most of us struggle with understanding how very serious it is for the global mean temperature to rise by 1.5° or 2° per-industrial.

We look at the forecast for say the next 14 days and see these fluctuations in min and max temperatures in a single day and between days and think silently to ourselves “what’s the fuss with 1 or 2° when in a given day there can be a difference of 10 or more degrees between min and max temperatures?”

It needs a little understanding…

The average surface temperature for the above 14 days is 19.74° and that average temperature allows for a high of 32° early in the new year. Interestingly the annual average temperature in this area is about 18° which allowed for a record breaking 37° on Dec 30th 2016.

The global average baseline temperature that is used to measure against is for the period 1850-1900 which was 13.9°

That average allowed for temperatures to reach well over 30° in some parts of the world.

We have now warmed by approximately 1.3° which means the global average is now 15.2° and this average has created conditions that have allowed temperatures to climb above 50° in in the same places described above

From over 30° to over 50° is the difference 1.3° makes!

What will happen when we reach 1.5° or 2°? Certain places on earth will simply become uninhabitable. This is serious. This is a climate emergency and this is now.