Atlanta's summers are getting hotter
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Average summer temperatures increased in Atlanta by 3.3°F between 1970 and 2022, per a new analysis by climate research group Climate Central, Alex Fitzpatrick and Tory Lysik report.
- Average temperatures were 80.7°F in 2022, compared to 77.4°F in 1970.
Why it matters: Extreme heat is a serious health risk, leading to both immediate acute effects (such as exhaustion and heat stroke), as well as longer-term complications due to reduced air quality.
Zoom in: UrbanHeatATL, a partnership of Spelman College, Georgia Tech researchers and students, and nonprofits like the Westside Watershed Alliance, found that high temperatures in concrete-covered and tree-deficient neighborhoods can spike by several degrees within short distances.
- People living on low incomes or in communities of color — where residents might have poor access to air conditioning and pre-existing conditions that exacerbate heatstroke — disproportionately feel heat's effects, according to growing research.
Flashback: The first six months of 2022 in Atlanta were the fourth hottest on record, NOAA said, and a June heat wave that year risked straining hospitals.
The big picture: Between 1970 and 2022, summer temperatures rose by 2.4°F on average across nearly 230 locations — 95% of the locations, the group analyzed.
Zoom out: Average temperature increases from 1970 to 2022 were highest in Reno, Nevada (+11.1°F); Boise, Idaho (+5.8°F); Las Vegas (+5.8°F); Salt Lake City (+5.5°F); and El Paso, Texas (+5.3°F).
Of note: Approximately half of the locations analyzed are now reporting at least two more weeks' worth of summer days with above-normal temperatures compared to 1970.
What's next: Cities nationwide are hiring "chief heat officers" to head up efforts to mitigate urban heat, as Jennifer A. Kingson has reported, including through the use of "smart surfaces" and increasing tree cover (and thus shade).
The bottom line: "As carbon pollution traps more heat in Earth's atmosphere, the summer season is warming, summer temperatures are arriving earlier in the year, and risky heat extremes are becoming more frequent," per Climate Central.