By the late 21st century, if atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations reach worst-case projections, Floridians could experience summer heatwaves three times more frequently, and each heatwave could last six times longer than at present, according to Meteorology Professor Shawn M. Milrad of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
“More extreme heatwaves in Florida would have profound impacts on human health as well as the state’s economy,” Milrad said. “Heatwaves are a silent killer, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives each year, yet we tend to focus more on the risks associated with sudden, dramatic events such as hurricanes.” In May 2015, for example, temperatures as high as 117 degrees Fahrenheit swept across India, causing widespread power outstands and killing at least 2,500 people.
For the time period 2070 to 2099, if atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide -- a key greenhouse gas -- reach two to three times the current level of 410 parts per million, heatwaves would also get hotter, rising roughly 7 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (4 to 6 degrees Celsius).
This finding was reported by Milrad and others in their peer-reviewed article, “Floridian heatwaves and extreme precipitation: future climate projections,” published in the journal Climate Dynamics. Greenhouse gases – primarily from fossil fuel burning and deforestation – trap heat near the Earth’s surface, he noted.
Read more at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Image: This is Meteorology Professor Shawn Milrad of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. (Credit: Daryl LaBello / Embry-Riddle)