Cleveland Summer 2010 vs 2009 vs 2008.....

Across the state of Ohio, this summer ranks 4th all-time warmest since record keeping began in the late 1800s.  Nationally, this summer was also 4th all-time.  It wasn't too long ago--last summer in fact--that summer temperatures were cooler than any summer in recent memory.  Let's compare this summer's ranks nationally to 2009 and 2008.

 This summer was very warm across the eastern half of the country while the west was cooler.  Last summer, more than 65% was much below averages.  2008, although not super-cool by any stretch, was near average to slightly below average.  Here are the ranks of the summers between 2008 and 2002 in Ohio:

2008:  50th warmest
2007:  26th warmest
2006:  41th warmest
2005:    5th warmest
2004:  98th warmest (13th coldest)
2003:  78th warmest (31st coldest)
2002:    4th warmest

What does this mean?  Are the temperatures across the state trending warmer in recent years or cooler?

Here is a graph of Ohio temperatures from 1951 to 2006.  it shows a negligible increase in overall temperatures.

Keep in mind that this is not a snapshot of what is happening globally.  My previous post illustrates the global increase which also note the discrepancy in the data.