Study: No relief from summer heat for US cities through 2100

Study: No relief from summer heat for US cities through 2100

On average, those temperatures will be 7-10°F warmer with some cities as much as 12°F hotter by the end of the century.

Finding somewhere to beat the heat during summer is going to be extremely difficult for Americans over the rest of the 21st century. A new interactive analysis released earlier this week by research organization Climate Central illustrates how much hotter summers will be in 1,001 U.S. cities by the end of the century, if current emissions trends continue — and the results are sweltering.

“Summer temperatures in most American cities are going to feel like summers now in Texas and Florida — very, very hot,” said Alyson Kenward, lead researcher of the analysis, which looked at projected changes in average summer (June-July-August) high temperatures. On average, those temperatures will be 7-10°F warmer with some cities as much as 12°F hotter by the end of the century.

However, the study ism’t concerning just for vacation plans over the next century; warmer temperatures and climate across North America will vastly change the ecosystem as we know it. Warmer climates could affect migration patterns of animals, disrupt wind and rainfall patterns, and promote extended heat waves, droughts, and wildfires.

The analysis only accounts for daytime summer heat — the hottest temperatures of the day, on average between June, July, and August — and doesn’t incorporate humidity or dewpoint, both of which contribute to how uncomfortable the dog days of summer can feel. The projected warming also assumes that greenhouse gas emissions will keep increasing through 2080, as they have for the past several decades.

Among the most striking examples featured in the interactive are:

Boston, where average summer high temperatures will likely be more than 10°F hotter than they are now, making it feel as steamy as North Miami Beach is today.

St. Paul, Minn., where summer high temperatures are expected to warm an average of 12°F, which puts it on par with broiling Mesquite, Texas.

Memphis, where summer high temperatures could average a sizzling 100°F, typical of Laredo, Texas, today.

Las Vegas, with summer high temperatures projected to average a scorching 111°F, comparable to present-day summers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Phoenix, where summer’s high temperatures would average a sweltering 114°F, which will feel like Kuwait City.

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