Climate change is affecting every part of the globe, but the impact isn’t evenly divided. As things have begun to heat up, every community is dealing with different, extreme weather conditions. Some areas have increased flooding, others are experiencing more wildfires, and in the Midwest, there are more prolonged heat waves that are projected to increase over the coming decades.
A new forecast of weather trends by First Street Foundation shows Milwaukee is at the tip of a major heat belt across the Midwest, where heatwaves are projected to intensify at a greater rate than other parts of the nation.
"Right in the middle of the country, we see this emerging, extreme heat belt, which is an area where indexes can reach up to 125F. It sounds like a huge number, but if you just think about the National Weather Service's converter, it only takes about 95F air temperature and 80% humidity to get to that 125F heat index," says Dr. Jeremy Porter, the chief research officer at First Street.
Milwaukee is expected to double the number of extreme heat days, including life-endangering high temperatures. Although the federal government has passed legislation intended to slow the tide of climate change, Porter says these short-term projections are essentially locked in.
Unlike some other projections, First Street Foundation also has a tool that allows people to calculate the risks climate change will pose to their home and community.
Porter explains, "Oftentimes, you’ll get information that says in 2100 it’s gonna be two degrees celsius warmer or sea levels are gonna be this much higher, but for your average person it’s really hard to make that tangible, they don’t really understand what that means."
The tool allows people to put in their specific address, the name of their city or their state, and find out the specific risks threatening that area in the coming decades.
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