Number Of Dangerously Hot NYC Days On The Rise, Climate Data Show

NEW YORK CITY — New Yorkers should expect more days of garbage stench, spiking electricity bills and boiling subway stations every summer, climate data show.

The number of extreme heat days in New York City has been rising steadily over the past 40 years, according to data crunched by nonprofit research group Climate Central.

Extreme heat days — when the heat index rises above 90 degrees Fahrenheit — are among the most dangerous weather events, the nonprofit notes.

"Heat is the #1 weather-related killer in the U.S.," the analysis reads. "Climate change is making bouts of deadly heat longer and more frequent."

The average number of extreme heat days in New York City rose by 7 between 1979 and 2020, the data show.

While this summer has thus far proven more temperate, extreme heat may already have proven dangerous.

A Brooklyn Half Marathon runner died after collapsing at the finish line and 15 others hospitalized during a day of hazardous city heat. Brooklyn was also under an air quality alert, according to the National Weather Service.

Heat does not affect all people the same way, the researchers note. At-risk groups include kids, those over 65, people with chronic health conditions and people who work outside.

Low income New Yorkers who can't afford air conditioning and have less access to green spaces also face a higher risk.

But, if New York has bad, cities in the West has it worse, data show.

Reno, Nevada, where summer temperatures have increased 10.9 degrees F., on average, since 1970, is the fastest-warming city in the country during the hottest months, according to the Climate Central study.

But don't rejoice yet — heat tolerance also plays a role when accessing risk — and the ability to adapt to heat varies across the U.S., the study notes.

"Different locations have different temperature thresholds for defining an 'extremely hot day,'" the study notes. "100°F is common in Phoenix, but treated as a dangerous heat advisory in New York City."