Millions of Americans are gearing up for another summer of record-breaking temperatures according to a new piece by The Guardian. With dangerous heatwaves on the horizon, experts are urging better protections to prevent thousands of deaths and injuries.
Areas at Risk
Most of New Mexico and Utah, along with parts of Arizona, Texas, and Colorado, have the highest likelihood (60% to 70%) of experiencing hotter-than-average summer temperatures, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Additionally, the northeast, from Maine to Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and a wide stretch from Louisiana to Arizona, Washington, and Idaho, have a 40% to 50% chance of above-average temperatures from June through August. Only southwest Alaska is expected to have below-normal temperatures.
“We can expect another dangerous hot summer season, with daily records already being broken in parts of Texas and Florida,” said Kristy Dahl to The Guardian, principal climate scientist for the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. S
he emphasized that as the planet warms, climate disasters will compound due to the lack of resilience in infrastructure and government systems.
Recent Weather Events
Texas has already experienced a series of tornadoes, unprecedented floods, and record-breaking temperatures. In early May, a destructive storm left hundreds of thousands of households around Houston without power, killed at least seven people, and damaged transmission towers and power lines.
The storm, which moved through New Orleans and into northern Florida, was linked to a record-shattering heatwave in Central America, causing schools to close and crops to perish. This heatwave is driven by a heat dome, a powerful area of high pressure, hovering over Mexico for weeks.
Meanwhile, smoke from Canadian wildfires has already blanketed parts of the Midwest. The summer forecast for 2024 comes at the tail end of El Niño, expected to be replaced by La Niña, which will exacerbate global heating and generate hotter-than-average temperatures for most of the US.
Global Temperature Records
Temperature records are being smashed globally as greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels warm the planet. More than two-thirds of all Americans were under heat alerts in 2023, the hottest year on record for the planet, followed by the warmest winter on record. NOAA, health officials, and some local governments are ramping up plans to better prepare for extreme heat, increasingly striking areas unaccustomed to such conditions.
HeatRisk, a new online tool from NOAA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provides seven-day forecasts focused on the dangers of extreme heat, considering the cumulative impacts by identifying the expected duration, including both daytime and nighttime temperatures.
Vulnerable Populations And Workers
Official figures indicate around 1,200 heat deaths annually, likely an undercount due to local variations in reporting and investigating heat-related fatalities. Older adults, children, pregnant individuals, people with substance-use issues, and unsheltered populations are among the most vulnerable to extreme heat.
This year could be particularly perilous for outdoor workers, especially in Florida, where the Republican-controlled state followed Texas in banning regulations guaranteeing workers access to shade, water, and breaks.
In contrast, Washington and Oregon expedited heat-protection laws for outdoor workers after the 2021 heat bomb caught the Pacific Northwest unprepared and left hundreds dead. They joined California, Nevada, and Minnesota as the only states with statewide occupational heat standards, with five others, including New York, in the process of securing them.
According to a report by Public Citizen, up to 2,000 workers die annually from heat-related conditions, and 170,000 are injured from working in extreme heat.
Preparing For A Hot Summer
Phoenix, Arizona, the hottest city in the US, is bracing for another scorching year. Last year, Phoenix endured a month of consecutive days over 110°F (43°C) and a record 645 heat deaths—a 700% rise over the past decade.
The city’s office of extreme heat is extending hours for some larger cooling centers and expanding its tree-planting program to improve shade in marginalized neighborhoods. However, the impact of the city’s decision to evict a large downtown homeless encampment remains unclear, as 45% of last year’s fatalities involved unsheltered people.
Outlook For The Future
This summer could be the hottest on record, potentially followed by a record-breaking hurricane season, with up to 25 named storms, including 13 hurricanes, forecast by NOAA.
In a piece for The Guardian US, meteorologist James Marshall Shepherd from the University of Georgia warned that the transition from El Niño to La Niña and warm ocean temperatures suggest a potentially record-breaking year. He added that heatwaves will continue to be more intense and frequent unless the world reduces fossil fuel use. “These are not your grandparents’ heatwaves,” he said.
Source: The Guardian US
