KXAN Pavement Temperature 162 F August 19, 2024, high temperature for the year.
American cities are getting unbearably hot. These ones are roasting the most
First published at CNN by Amy O’Kruk and Angela Dewan, August 13, 2024
(Editor’s note: Caution when viewing unbelievable statistics. Check their work! This article states that the heat island can raise urban temperatures by 20 degrees F. While face surfing the pavement,. This is an easy thing to experience, but EPA says, “A review of research studies and data found that in the United States, the heat island effect results in daytime temperatures in urban areas about 1–7°F higher than temperatures in outlying areas and nighttime temperatures about 2–5°F higher.”)
CNN —
No, it’s not your imagination — summers in the US really are getting hotter. And longer.
Human-caused climate change is turbocharging heat all over the country, but it’s most intense in cities, where more than 260 million Americans live. That’s because buildings, roads and sidewalks radiate more heat than grass and trees, in what’s known as the urban heat island effect, which can add as much at 20 degrees Fahrenheit to urban temperatures.
All of the country’s 50 most-populated cities all have gotten hotter over the past half century, and all but three are experiencing more “extremely hot” days above 95 degrees, according to a data analysis by the International Institute for Environment and Development, shared exclusively with CNN.
Here’s which cities are on the frontlines.