What the Climate of Sioux Falls Could Look Like in 2080

While the debates over climate change and global warming continue, one thing is certain: the average annual temperature indexes are going up. That's a climatic fact. Even a one-degree increase is a big deal and the shift has major corporations and the world's leading scientists looking for answers.

A company called Nature Communications has come up with a way to find out what certain cities will be like 60 years in the future - or 2080.

They used what is called climate-analog mapping. It involves matching the expected future climate at a location - such as Sioux Falls -  with the current climate of another city. According to their findings, the climate in Sioux Falls will be much like Salina, Kansas is today.

The typical summer in Salina, Kansas is 7.7°F warmer and 8.8% wetter than summer in Sioux Falls. Winters in Salina could receive a foot of snow and then be 45 degrees the next day. Would we be okay with that?

Below, the climate similarity map shows how similar today's climates are to 2080's climate in Sioux Falls assuming high emissions. The line indicates the location with highest similarity.

In light of the recent cold snap with bone-chilling winds, global warming and climate change are probably quite far from our minds. At this point, milder winters would be okay with me.