Brutal heat streaks like the one we're experiencing now are becoming more common in Nashville and nationwide, a new analysis finds.
Why it matters: Prolonged heat is particularly hazardous to human health. It's the leading cause of weather-related deaths.
Driving the news: The average number of annual extreme heat streaks rose between 1970-2024 in 80% of the 247 U.S. cities analyzed in a new report from Climate Central, a climate research group.
Nashville is near the top of the pack: Music City now experiences about five more periods of prolonged, dangerous heat per year, the analysis found.
How it works: Climate Central defines an "extreme heat streak" as three or more days in a row with maximum temperatures over the 90th percentile of a given location's daily max temperatures during the 1991-2020 period.