Pittsburgh is seeing more heat streaks
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Pittsburgh is averaging more heat streaks each year than it did in 1970, a new analysis finds.
Why it matters: Prolonged heat — which has hit Pittsburgh and much of the U.S. with force — is particularly hazardous to human health.
By the numbers: The average number of annual extreme heat streaks rose between 1970-2024 in 80% of 247 U.S. cities, per a new Climate Central report.
Zoom in: Pittsburgh now has an average of two more heat streaks each year.
- Wheeling, West Virginia — an hour southwest of Pittsburgh — is experiencing on average five more heat streaks per year, tied for the most of any city in the country.
How it works: Climate Central defines an "extreme heat streak" as three or more consecutive days with maximum temperatures over the 90th percentile of a given location's daily max temperatures during the 1991-2020 period.
Between the lines: Studies show climate change is making extreme heat more intense and frequent.