Climate change is making Northwest Arkansas summers even hotter
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Northwest Arkansas experienced seven days this summer with scorching temperatures made at least three times more likely by human-caused climate change, per a new Climate Central analysis.
- That's 8% of the season's 91 days.
Zoom out: 326 million people — or 97% of the U.S. population — experienced at least one summer day with temperatures notably influenced by human-caused climate change in 2023, per Climate Central, a climate research and communications nonprofit.
Zoom in: In 45 of the 244 U.S. cities the group analyzed, at least half of all summer days had temperatures made at least twice as likely by climate change.
- The three U.S. (and territories) cities with the most summer days with temperatures driven by climate change: San Juan, Puerto Rico (90 days); Victoria, Texas (80); and Lafayette, Louisiana (74).
The big picture: This is a U.S.-focused version of a similar global analysis Climate Central published last week, which found that nearly half the world's population experienced temperatures made more likely by global warming this summer.
- Meanwhile, Earth just experienced what was likely its hottest summer on record, with a global average surface temperature about 0.65°C (1.17°F) above the 1991-2020 average for June through August.
How it works: Climate Central's analysis is based on the group's Climate Shift Index (CSI), which compares observed or forecast temperatures with simulations of the same weather conditions minus excess atmospheric greenhouse gases.
- The idea is to compare real-world conditions with what might have been the case without human-caused climate change.
- A CSI of 3, for example, means human-caused climate change made a given daily average temperature three times more likely.
The bottom line: Rapid attribution analyses like this one drive home a key point: Climate change is having significant present-day impacts felt by millions across the country and the planet.