If you've really enjoyed the August run of triple digit temperatures, the future is for you, according to a new study on the impact of global warming on American cities, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
The study says San Antonio is number two in the country in the cities that will be hit hard by temperatures which are already rising, according to researchers Alexander Harris, who writes for the 'Sparefoot' blog.
He says a combination of the city's position as a warm weather city and the expected surge in population will push up the average of 12 days a year that we currently experience highs of more than 100 degrees by 2100.
"To 96 days over 100 degrees Farenheit every year," he said. "That is more than a third of the entire year with temperatures over 100 degrees."
He says it is a common belief, freely exchanged among skeptics, that the overall temperature spikes will be hotter due to climate change. He says while temperatures may get hotter, the true impact of global warming will be that the overall temperature will change, and in places like San Antonio, that's bad news.
Phoenix will be hit the hardest of any city by climate change, but Harris says Texas cities are right in line, with Austin, Houston, Ft. Worth and Dallas also suffering major impacts.
He says the average summer temperature is already rising. San Antonio has already surpassed the average of 12 days per year of triple digits, with late August and September still to come.
"You might be sitting there saying, 'there is no way I'll make it to 2100, but there's a good chance you'll make it to 2050, and it will be plenty hot then too," he said, adding that researchers are expecting 50 triple-digit days a year in the coming 32 years.
He says researchers figured in population growth in their expectation of climate change, because more people means more rooftops, more pavement, and more are what are called 'urban heat islands' which lead to hotter temperatures.
Harris says as we move into the coming decade, climate will figure more and more into business decisions, and he says that could be the most significant impact of climate change on Texas.
"What will be the climate be like for my children, or for me when I'm ready to retire," he said. "I think that's important to think about."
https://www.sparefoot.com/self-storage/blog/19318-the-hottest-hottest-cities-in-the-united-states/