Days of Extreme Heat Will Become Weeks as Climate Warms, U.S. Study Warns

Even regions of the U.S. where extreme heat and humidity have been rare should expect significant increases in the number of hot days by mid-century.

Nearly every part of the United States will face a significant increase in extremely hot days by mid-century, even if some action is taken to reduce greenhouse emissions, a new study says.  If nothing is done to rein in climate change, it warns, the impact will be worse.

Large parts of the Central and Eastern U.S. will get a taste of what that feels like over the coming days as a muggy heat wave settles in.


The study, published in a peer-reviewed journal and as a longer report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, used 18 climate models to predict changes in the heat index—the mix of heat and humidity that reflects how hot it feels—across the contiguous U.S. as global temperatures rise over the coming decades.

Read more at Days of Extreme Heat Will Become Weeks as Climate Warms, U.S. Study Warns