As of recent, the weather has been different compared to past years. Accuweather says that Spring continues to start sooner and the weather is starting to change with it. But why is the weather being weirder than usual? April is usually a rainy and humid month in Pennsylvania, but lately, the weather has been cold and windy. In a Local Conditions report, the lowest temperature dropped in March was 17.6℉ on March 7 at 7:53 a.m.

With the changing seasons comes a change in weather. A Climatechange.lta.org article states that shifting seasons have a direct connection to warmer global temperature. Due to just a slight change in the temperature, the spring thaw has happened sooner than it usually does. These changes are causing many spring plants and vegetation to grow sooner than usual. This also pushed the first frost and the start of the fall season back as well. 

Worsening higher temperatures are causing many types of disasters, according to Nrdc.org, including heatwaves, floods, storms, and droughts. This is due to the increase in the temperature of the climate. When the temperature rises, the warmer climate creates an atmosphere that can retain, collect, and drop more water. Weather patterns are changed because of this, making it so dry areas are more dry and wet areas have increased precipitation.

There can be many different impacts caused by increased precipitation. One of the most dangerous of these threats is the increased chance of flooding. News.psu.edu says that there has been a rise in the peak flows of Pennsylvania’s river systems and that this rise could cause more extreme and frequent flooding.

Along with flooding, heavier rain can also increase the risk of landslides. The increase of rainfall can lead to the ground becoming more saturated and raise the level of the water table, this can cause instability in the ground, causing landslides. According to dcnr.pa.gov, Southwestern Pennsylvania has the highest concentration of landslides out of the state as a whole.  

Climate change is a worldwide problem, and Pennsylvania is not excluded from the phenomenon. 

“In Pennsylvania, climate change-related effects, warmer temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, more frequent and intense storms, extended heat waves, and longer droughts will likely affect the plants, animals and landscape of our state,” states a Waterland Life article.

As the year continues, the weather continues to change. The world keeps changing along with climate change. The weather will only continue to change unless there is something done about climate change.