Houston's summer evenings are getting warmer
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Summer evenings are getting warmer in Houston and across much of the U.S. amid climate change, a new analysis shows.
Why it matters: Higher overnight temperatures can have health consequences for vulnerable groups, as well as increased demand for air conditioning.
- That, in turn, can increase energy demand and strain electrical grids, fueling a vicious cycle with more greenhouse gas emissions.
Driving the news: Average summer nighttime temperatures increased between 1970 and 2024 in 96% of 241 locations analyzed in a new report from Climate Central, a research and communications group.
- Among cities with an increase, temperatures rose by 3.1 degrees on average.
Zoom in: Houston's overnight lows rose 5.8 degrees in that timeframe, according to the report.
- Dallas' rose 5 degrees, Austin rose 3.1 degrees and San Antonio rose 3 degrees.
Between the lines: Hundreds of U.S. cities are experiencing more frequent warmer-than-average summer nights "with a strong climate change fingerprint," Climate Central says.
- That's based on the group's "Climate Shift Index" — a method of measuring climate change's impact on local daily temperatures — and the 1991-2020 climate normals.
The bottom line: It isn't just daytime highs getting warmer in much of the U.S., but evening lows, too.