This week's heat wave is up to 5 times more likely because of climate change
Late June often brings hot weather to North Carolina, but this week’s heat is well above normal. It has been reaching dangerous levels with the heat index as high as 110.
What You Need To Know
- Climate Central has developed the Climate Shift Index to estimate how climate change has the increased likelihood for a particular daily temperature
- The index shows Tuesday’s heat in North Carolina is made four to five times more likely by the warming planet
- Dangerously hot conditions are expected to continue to become more common in future years
The North Carolina Climate Science Report published in 2020 suggested this type of heat wave is becoming more common in the state due to climate change. “The likelihood of extreme heat events is projected to increase in the state, making extreme heat an important hazard for North Carolinians to be prepared for now and into the future,” according to the report.
There’s now a relatively new tool that can tell us how climate change may be impacting heat waves.
Climate Central, an independent group of scientists and journalists, has developed the Climate Shift Index. The group says the index uses peer-reviewed methodology and real-time data to estimate how climate change has increased the likelihood of a particular daily temperature.
This week’s heat wave is likely peaking Tuesday, and the Climate Shift Index is between 4 and 5 for much of North Carolina.
According to the index, that means this week’s heat is four to five times more likely to occur due to climate change.
The dangerously hot conditions have also been a concern for a large part of the country.
“The extent of this early summer heat dome over the United States is remarkable. Thanks to scientific advances, we can now show a clear climate change fingerprint in real time using the Climate Shift Index,” Dr. Zachary Labe, a climate scientist at Climate Central, said. “It is a stark reminder that climate change is making these dangerous and oppressive heat waves far more likely, affecting millions of people.”
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