LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - The state climatologist of Texas projects that 115-degree heat won't be surprising a few decades from now and that triple-digit temperatures will become the norm.
Texas A&M University professor John Nielsen-Gammon says models that he's analyzed show temperatures rising as much as 1 degree each decade, meaning that by 2060 the mercury would be 5 degrees hotter than now. He said that every region of the state is expected to be affected.
Nielsen-Gammon said that unusually warm summers the past two years - South Texas in 2009 and North Texas this year - are signs of what's ahead. A recent Texas A&M University news release states problems that could follow include water shortages and more severe droughts.
The good news is that Texas winters will be milder.
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