Summer Is Getting Hotter And Longer, Increasing Hospitalizations

ACROSS AMERICA — It doesn’t just feel as if summers are longer and hotter than they used to be. Federal climate data, assembled in a new study by the nonprofit research group Climate Central, backs that up.

We’re just about two weeks into summer 2022, but we’ve already experienced hotter-than-normal temperatures in many parts of the country, according to the private weather company AccuWeather.

Temperatures in the desert Southwest could eclipse 110 degrees Fahrenheit by week’s end because of a “heat dome” building across the West and High Plains, according to AccuWeather. Temperatures could reach the 90s as far north as Montana.

“By the upcoming weekend, highs could be around 105 in places such as Salt Lake City, which is 10-15 degrees above normal for this time of year and would eclipse the hottest day of the year they've had thus far, which was 102 back on June 12,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said.

That could represent a new normal for the area.

On average, temperatures in the West increased an average of 2.7 degrees F. from 2017-2021, compared to 1971-2000, according to the Climate Central study, The Washington Post reported. The comparison shows temperatures have increased an average 1.5 degrees F. along the Eastern Seaboard, and 1.3 degrees in the South and Central United States.

The outlook going forward isn’t good. Overall, federal agencies project more dangerously hot days, a worsening of drought conditions, more wildfires and more hurricanes.

The effects of climate change are most sharply felt in the West.

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.

The increasing temperatures can cause heat emergencies that increase hospitalizations. Heat-related illnesses are among the deadliest weather-related illnesses in the United States.

Geographic tolerance for heat is among the factors considered by researchers studying heat-related hospitalizations for a 2019 study. They found heat-related hospitalizations begin at lower heat indices in cooler regions than in the South and Southeast.

For example, heat-related hospitalizations begin with heat indices around 105 degrees F. in Texas, but 81 degrees F. in the Pacific Northwest.

To see how many days of extreme heat — that is, days with a heat index of 90 degrees F. or hotter — you can expect, find your state and nearest metro area at the link above.

When it’s that hot, the risk of heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke, muscle cramps or heat exhaustion increases, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Climate Central analysis found the 25 cities with the biggest increase in dangerously hot days are found in Texas and the Southeast. All of those cities are seeing two additional weeks of extremely hot days, compared to 1970.

Climate Central looked at historic data from 246 U.S. locations to calculate the increase in extremely hot days from 1970-2021. The analysis found:

• Since 1970, 74 percent (184) reported more extremely hot days annually.
• About 51 percent (126) had at least seven additional extremely hot days annually.
• The largest change was in Austin, Texas, with 43 additional days above 100 degrees F.