Climate Change Chart of Lansing, USA

Overview of climate changes

Temperature changes

Monthly mean temperature was higher by a difference of +1.43 °C when averaged across calendar months in the more recent period; this is an unweighted comparison of monthly means, not a day-weighted annual average or a measure of daytime maximum temperatures. The largest monthly increase was in December, with a difference of +2.82 °C. That identifies the strongest increase among the supplied monthly comparisons, rather than describing every month.

Changes in rainfall

Mean daily rainfall averaged across calendar months showed a difference of +0.27 mm/day higher in the more recent period. This is an unweighted average of monthly mean daily amounts, not a day-weighted annual average or a monthly rainfall total. The largest monthly increase was in October, at a difference of +1.30 mm/day. In contrast, November had the largest monthly decrease, a difference of -0.54 mm/day; these extremes show that monthly changes were not uniform.

Changes in sunshine duration

Mean daily sunshine duration averaged across calendar months was lower by a difference of -0.37 hours/day in the more recent period. This unweighted comparison summarizes the monthly means and does not imply that sunshine decreased in every month. The largest monthly increase occurred in June, with a difference of +0.96 hours/day, while October recorded the largest decrease, a difference of -1.18 hours/day. These monthly contrasts qualify the overall average rather than representing daily conditions throughout either period.

Changes in snowfall

Mean daily snowfall averaged across calendar months was lower by a difference of -0.09 mm/day in the more recent period. This is an unweighted comparison of monthly means, not a day-weighted annual average or a monthly snowfall total. The largest monthly increase was in February, at a difference of +1.33 mm/day; the largest decrease was in March, at a difference of -0.72 mm/day. These different monthly directions help explain why the across-month average alone does not describe every month's comparison.