Heat Waves in the Age of Climate Change: Longer, More Frequent and More Dangerous

heading into the weekend. As a result, government agencies have issued warnings that can feel ominous. An oppressive and dangerous , warned the National Weather Service. Excessive heat, a silent killer, echoed a by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Extreme heat is hazardous, tweeted the NYC . But people with health issues, older people and young children are especially susceptible to the effects of extreme heat. Its a threat that grows as continues. To understand how climate change increases the frequency of , it helps to think of the Earths temperature as a bell curve said Michael Mann, the director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center. Climate change is of the temperature scale. Even a tiny shift in the center means that more of the curve touches the extreme part of the temperature scale. So you know, a warming of 1 degree Celsius, which is what weve seen thus far, can lead to a 10-fold increase in the frequency of 100 degree days in New York City for example, said Dr. Mann. According to the , since the 1960s the average number of defined as two or more consecutive days where daily lows exceeded historical July and August temperatures in 50 major American cities has tripled. We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and your Times account, or for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? . Want all of The Times? .