Your comments: Recent weather mirrors what scientists predict global warming ... - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com

Star-Ledger Staff Marlin and Nailea Aviles cool off from the heat at Mickey Walker Recreation Center in Elizabeth, NJ June 20, 2012. (Noah K. Murray -The Star Ledger) Blistering heat engulfs N.J. on first day of summer gallery (29 photos)

Some of the extreme weather we've seen lately mirrors weather patterns predicted by scientists who support global warming.

"This is what global warming looks like at the regional or personal level," said Jonathan Overpeck, professor of geosciences and atmospheric sciences at the University of Arizona. "The extra heat increases the odds of worse heat waves, droughts, storms and wildfire. This is certainly what I and many other climate scientists have been warning about."

Nobody knows for sure if the horrendous wildfires, oppressive heat waves and powerful storms we've seen in the recent past are caused by global warming, but NJ.com users are talking about it.

NJ.com user toughteacher wrote:

While I won't say there is a such thing as global warming, to automatically rule out any possibility that it exists is shear ignorance. The fact that the 10 hottest years in recorded human history have occurred within the past 12 years, and that the trend continues to repeat itself, is a shocking statistic.

NJ.com user uniongoonz wrote:

It's summertime! It gets hot in the summer! Surprise, surprise! Climate change and temperature fluctuations have been occuring for millions if not billions of years ----- long before humans or those evil SUVs populated the earth.

NJ.com user wantfrieswiththat wrote:

This is the time of year that the global warming alarmists scream about how "we-told-you-so" only to disappear again when the weather gets cold.

NJ.com user white knight wrote:

I tend to believe we are seeing natural variability that is being driven to more extremes due to human interactions with the environment. Is the climate cyclical? Yes. Could some or all of this be the natural result of such cycles? Sure. But I'm not willing to take that chance based on current evidence and current weather events.

No matter where you stand on the global warming debate, most New Jerseyans agree that we're in the grip of another heatwave this week. Twitter follower JohnnyA99 tweeted this morning:

It's so humid and disgusting out. I hate this part of the year

Wade into the spirited debate on global warming by going to the comments section of this story on NJ.com. Make sure to keep your comments on topic and civil.