The hot, dry weather that is now plaguing much of the U.S., and which has killed 182 people, appears to extend what federal scientists say is a trend toward more extreme summer temperatures since World War II. While most scientists are hesitant to attribute any individual heat wave to global warming, some note that the current wave is consistent with predictions for weather in a warming atmosphere. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said yesterday that the drought currently gripping the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, which is devastating farmers, is the second-worst of the century.
source: New York Times, William K. Stevens, 08.01.99
