The United States will see the development within 30 years of an “extreme heat belt” stretching from Louisiana in the south to Lake Michigan in the north, crossing the American Midwest, according to a new report released Monday. .
This area, where more than 100 million Americans live and which occupies a quarter of the country, will experience at least one day of extreme heat a year in 2053, with a felt temperature above 51 ° C, according to this report from the not – for-profit organization First Street Foundation.
Currently, this is the case for only about 50 US counties with 8 million people. In 30 years, this will affect more than 1,000 counties, especially in the states of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and even southern Wisconsin.
The Midwest is particularly affected due to its distance from the sea, the report notes, although smaller regions on the East Coast and in Southern California are also affected.
the heat is he Meteorological phenomenon that kills the most in the United States, before floods or hurricanes. It can lead to hospitalizations and serious complications. It is especially dangerous in places that are not used to high temperatures, such as the northern United States.
First Street Foundation based its projections on a moderate scenario from United Nations climate experts (IPCC), in which greenhouse gas emissions peak in the 2040s before declining.
Beyond these extreme temperatures, the entire country must heat up. On average, the hottest 7 days of the year locally today will become the hottest 18 days in 30 years. The number of “dangerous days”, defined in the report as days when the temperature almost reaches 38°C senses, will increase particularly in the south of the country.
Around the Gulf of Mexico, many regions currently have about 100 days a year at this temperature, but are expected to have more than 120 by 2053.
Up to 70 consecutive days around 38°C
Heat waves, which make these very hot days happen without interruption, should also continue: in thirty years, large regions of Texas and Florida can experience up to more than 70 consecutive days around 38°C.
The report assessed these changes at a very detailed scale, to allow residents, businesses and administrators to anticipate their response at the local level. “We must prepare for the inevitable,” Matthew Eby, founder of the First Street Foundation, said in a statement. “The consequences are going to be dire.”
Source: BFM TV
