The Earth’s climate is changing at an alarming rate, around the world and in our own backyard. Some regions of the U.S. are facing increased coastal flooding, others more frequent wildfires. Mosquito and tick ranges are expanding to new areas, spreading diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, West Nile and Zika. 

In Indiana, the USDA Hardiness Zone has moved from a solid Zone 5 to borderline Zone 6 over the last decade as winter temperatures have warmed.

How will Indiana weather patterns change in the future, and will those shifts affect Vermillion County?

Climatologist Melissa Widhalm will answer those questions at 6 p.m. on Jan. 24. You don’t have to be a farmer, gardener or even an outdoor enthusiast to be affected by the weather. 

“Our lives are so closely connected to our climate that seemingly small shifts in weather patterns can have consequential impacts,” Widhalm said. “Take rainfall, for example. In Indiana, our annual average rainfall has increased 5 inches over the last century and local scientists say this trend will continue. Widhalm also warns, “Continued changes in our rainfall patterns will affect our health, our financial well-being and the environment, and communities in Indiana need to prepare for these changes that are already underway.”

Widhalm is operations manager for the Indiana Climate Change Impacts Assessment, a statewide effort led by the Purdue Climate Research Center in collaboration with nearly 100 experts across the state. 

Its goal is “to document the ways changing weather patterns will affect state and local interests. We want this assessment to provide baseline historical data and future predictions about key climate and water variables. This information will allow communities, business sectors and the state to determine vulnerabilities, and it will help people as they develop action plans for the future.” 

Those attending Widhalm’s session will get a look at some of the key climate and water results for Vermillion County.

The evening will start with a free pizza meal in the Community Building at the Vermillion County Fairgrounds, 325 E. Maple St., Cayuga. Widhalm’s presentation will follow. 

Reservations are required by Jan. 22, by contacting the Vermillion County Extension office at 765-492-5330 or cox119@purdue.edu.