Three measures of temperature were compared for Davis California and all increased from 1893 to 2015. Temperature data for 1893 to 2011 was collected from the Desert Research institute (DRI) at the university of Nevada Reno (UNR). Hourly temperature measurements for 2014 through 2015were collected from the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS).
Results/Conclusions
The greatest increases were in annual mean daily low temperature (MDL). From 1893 to 2011 MDL was 7.8oC. In the final 10 years of that period 2002-2011 MDL increased to 8.8oC in 2014-2015 the warmest year on record according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) MDL increased to 10.5oC. increases in MDL are particularly important because on a regional scale these temperature increases will decrease snow pack. It will decrease the amount of time spent below freezing thereby decreasing the amount of time when snowfall can occur and will increase the rate at which the snow that does fall will melt. Annual Mean Daily temperature (MDT) increased from 15.7oC for 1893 to 2011 to 16.3oC for 2002 to 2011 to 17.2oC for 2014-2015. Smaller increases were measured in annual mean daily high (MDH) temperature, 23.7oC for 1893 to 2011, 23.8oC for 2002 to 2011 and 24.6oC for 2014 through 2015.