Summers in the Southeast are going to get hotter, according to a study by U.S. government scientists.
Due to global warming, the Southeast is likely to see twice as many days a year with temperatures hitting the 90 degree mark or hotter. The report also predicts that the hottest days will be more than 10 degrees hotter.
The report by the U.S. Global Change Research Program last month synthesizes the results of research assembled by 13 federal departments and agencies including NASA, the departments of defense and energy, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Research Council. It is the second report ever issued by the federal government on the predicted impacts of global climate change on the United States, and the first one to break down impacts by region.
Among other things, it shows a sweltering Southeast. The report predicts that by the 2080s, the region will see an increase of 4.5 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit in its average temperatures, depending on carbon dioxide emissions. But the extremes of heat will be greater and the heat index higher.
This will be deadly to both humans and animals such as beef cattle, the report states. Although fewer cold-related deaths are predicted, these aren’t expected to offset the higher number of heat-related deaths
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