New Orleans is seeing more "mosquito days" than it used to
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Surprising to...few of us, the number of "mosquito days" — meaning, those with the hot and humid weather the flying vermin crave — has trended upward in New Orleans over the past several decades, per a new analysis.
- The report, from nonprofit climate science research organization Climate Central, defines a "mosquito day" as one with average relative humidity of 42% or higher, plus daily temperatures of 50°–95°F.
Why it matters: Mosquitoes are more than just a nuisance — they're a public health threat, carrying diseases such as malaria, West Nile, Zika and more.
By the numbers: New Orleans had 275 mosquito days in 2022, compared to 264 in 1979 — an increase of 11.
Flashback: A woman in Thibodaux tested positive for West Nile earlier this month. The city sprayed in that area and set traps to limit spread.
- Last year, the CDC ranked Louisiana as the nation's fourth-highest West Nile hotspot.
The big picture: 71% of the 242 locations Climate Central analyzed saw an increase in mosquito days between 1979 and 2022, of about 16 days on average.
Zoom in: Santa Maria, California; San Francisco and State College, Pennsylvania, saw the greatest increases in mosquito days during that time frame, at 43 days, 42 days and 33 days, respectively.
Yes, but: Some locations — particularly in the South — are actually getting too hot for mosquitoes, the analysis notes.