HomeMy WebLinkAboutClimate Projections Report 2016Climate Projections
Report for City of Iowa City : Spring 2016
The City of Iowa City, in an effort to better prepare for the coming impacts of climate change, has been coordinating with
climatologists to predict how we might be affected. This report shows the fi ndings of the study:
Climate in the Heartland:
Historical data and future projections
Changes so far:
• More frequent warm nights
• Nighttime temperatures have increased more than daytime temperatures
• Fewer cool summers
• Average date of fi rst frost occurs one week later
• Average date of last frost occurs one week earlier, and
• More years in which we experience eight or more days with 1.25 inches or
more of rainfall in one day, which can lead to fl ooding. Seven of the 12 high-
est years in which we have experienced this level of rainfall have occurred in
the past 30 years.
Floodwaters over Dubuque Street, 2008
Spring 2016 Update
Prepared by the City of Iowa City
Offi ce of Sustainability Services
For more information, contact Brenda Nations,
City of Iowa City Sustainability Coordinator:
319-887-6161 brenda-nations@iowa-city.org
The climate changes we can expect:
Climate change is
not just a future problem,
it is happening now.
The time for adaptation is now.
• Average temperatures in most future years
will exceed extremes that used to occur only
once per decade.
• Last frost in spring will occur earlier.
• First frost in fall will occur later.
• Spring precipitation is projected to increase.
• Excessive daily rainfall is projected to in-
crease substantially.
• Annual temperature is expected to increase
so much that the 30-year average tempera-
ture in the future will be well above the hot-
test years of the normal historical tempera-
ture range.
• From 2021-2050, annual precipitation is ex-
pected to increase by 10%, with another 5%
by 2051-2080.
• Average annual temperatures are projected
to increase by 2.7 degrees in the period
2021-2050.
Moving forward
In February 2016, the Iowa City Mayor signed
the Compact of Mayors, a global coalition of
city leaders launched at the 2014 United Na-
tions Climate Summit to address climate change.
By participating in the Compact, the Mayor
commits to climate action by taking stock of
greenhouse emissions and the current effects
of climate change in the city, creating an action
plan with clearly defi ned reduction targets,
and implementing a common system of mea-
suring emissions, monitoring climate risks, and
tracking progress with regular reports.
As one of the key initiatives launched at the Cli-
mate Summit in 2014, the Compact of Mayors
is the world’s largest collective effort by cities
to date to tackle climate change. For more in-
formation, visit www.compactofmayors.org.