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Heat waves to become commonplace by 2039
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The heat wave hitting much of the eastern U.S. has caused much complaint and many city black-outs, but a new study finds that relief may not be coming any time soon.
Stanford University climate scientists have found that intense heat waves could become frequent events by 2039.
The study found that in the next decade, the U.S. could experience at least four seasons that match the hottest and longest seasons ever recorded over the past 50 years. Temperature and frequency will only increase as time goes on, with "five occurrences per decade over much of the western U.S. and greater than three exceedences per decade over much of the eastern U.S.," the study revealed.
Areas such as Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico could see even worse conditions – experiencing at least seven seasons in the 2020s and the 2030s equally as intense as the hottest period between 1951 and 1999.
Extreme heat conditions could pose serious risks to health and agriculture, Noah Diffenbaugh, an assistant professor at Stanford and the lead author of the study, warned. He cited the 2003 heat wave that swept Europe, killing tens of thousands of people, as just one example. Diffenbaugh added that extreme heat would also do immeasurable damage to "major crops like corn, soybean, cotton and wine grapes," as well as sparking an increasing number of droughts and wildfires.
The findings were determined using nearly two dozen climate models to measure the effects of increasing carbon dioxide on the Earth’s temperature. They predict that by 2039, the average global temperature will increase by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit, or 2 degrees Celsius, since the preindustrial-era of the 1850s. Climate scientists have identified this margin of increase as the threshold beyond which the Earth will experience irreparable climate change and damage.
Record temperatures were reached around the U.S. last week, with New York hitting 103 degrees Fahrenheit and Tulsa posting 114, Bloomberg reports. As a result, heat illnesses and air quality issues are to be expected.
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