“Global warming—an increase in the average temperature of the planet—isn’t something we notice directly in our daily lives. What we do notice, though, is global weirding.
“Simply put, climate change is loading the extreme weather dice against us. We always have had a chance of rolling a double six—a record-breaking hurricane, heat wave, flood or the like. But over time, climate change has been switching out some of the numbers on our dice to increase the odds that we role those double sixes.”
— Katharine Hayhoe, chief scientist at The Nature Conservancy
Tomorrow is the first official day of spring, and there’s snow on the ground here in the Chicago area as I write this morning. And that seems pretty normal. For the next few days, we’re supposed to see temps close to 70 degrees. And even that’s normal. Illinois has weird spring weather … the whole “in like a lion” thing is pretty apt in these parts.
I’ve already been out in the garden, wrangling the climbing rose, the wild raspberries and the Virginia creeper while it’s still cool enough to wear multiple layers and thick, thick gloves to protect myself from the thorns and the itch. (Not everyone is sensitive to creeper, but apparently I’m not so lucky.) And I plan to get out there again this weekend and celebrate spring’s onset, though with temps that high, I may have to put the scratchy-itchy jobs on hold and tackle something I can handle in short sleeves.
Meanwhile, Southern California is experiencing an extended heat wave, with high temperature records shattered across the area a couple of days ago. While snow was falling here, temps topped 100 in more than one location there, and those records weren’t just shattered by one or two degrees, but as much as 10 or 11 in some areas.
Hot weather can be very dangerous. In fact, it’s the deadliest, most dangerous kind of extreme weather we have, as you’ll see in our feature story on page 32. There, you’ll find ideas on how to help your patrons and community members keep their cool as the temperatures climb—with hydration strategies, shade to offer respite from the sun and more. We may already have one heat wave under our belts this year, but it’s surely far from the last.
We’ve also got stories this month on providing people with adventurous options like climbing walls and ninja courses, as well as ideas for learn-to-swim programs and what to consider when you’re making decisions about indoor sports flooring.
So, whether you’re sitting out a spring snow or cooling off in the A/C, kick up your feet, grab a hot (or cold) beverage and enjoy!
Cheers!
Emily Tipping
Editorial Director,
Recreation Management
[email protected]
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