Planet Wobegon

My first winters in Minnesota included air temperatures down to -39C/-38F, and that cold was harsh for a guy who grew up in a desert.  I've said again and again that every winter I've spent here has been milder than the previous winter.  Apparently it's not just me growing accustomed to the cold.  I've lived in Minnesota for 15 years, but the consecutive warming may have started a decade before I arrived.

NOAA releases monthly climate statistics, and for some reason the October report has spurred articles in Grist and Wired about global warming. This particular quote is drawing all of the new attention:

"This is the 332nd consecutive month with an above-average temperature. The last below-average month was February 1985."

So if you are now 27 years or younger (born March 1985 or later), then you have never lived in a world that experienced below-average temperatures for your century.  Let that anomaly sink in. It's what warranted the special attention.

The first Lake Wobegon book was published in 1985.  Its radio show, A Prairie Home Companion, has been around Minnesota Public Radio for much longer.  The first radio episode aired in 1976.  Still, though, the familiar closing line of each Lake Wobegon story gains new relevance: 'That's the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above-average.'  And so is the planetary temperature.