A new report released by research and news organization Climate Central predicts that by the year 2100 our usual 82 degree average summer weather will reach an average of around 91 degrees—the equivalent to an average July day spent in Lehigh Acres, Florida.
Of course, New York isn't the only city with a rising thermometer; Los Angeles and Miami temperatures could both see a jump of seven degrees, while northeastern Pennsylvania could see an increase as large as 11 degrees.
The report examines projected daytime summer temperatures for 1,001 cities across the United States, and matches them to other cities who already experience those projected temperatures today. Frighteningly, some city projections are too hot to match, and had to be linked to other parts of the world.
"In some cases, summers will warm so dramatically that their best comparison is to cities in the Middle East. Take Las Vegas, for example. Summer highs there are projected to average a scorching 111°F, which is what summer temperatures are like today in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. And at an average 114°F°, living in Phoenix will feel like summering in sweltering Kuwait City," the study states.
I suppose if there’s a bit of good news in there, it’s that Arizonans and Floridians and other redneck numbnuts will finally be forced to reckon with global warming. Only it will boil down to them wearing dishdashas and kaffiyahs, rather than doing something to stop it.
To be sure, NYC is an industrious city and we’re well on the road to preparation. Many office buildings already have air conditioning, many companies already have infrastructure in place to deal with telecommuting and keeping people and cars off the streets and of course, there’s the comprehensive public transit system.
The folks I feel for are the suburban commuters who will have to deal with Floridian temperatures while sitting in their cars in traffic. Anyone who’s sat on the LIE for an hour waiting for an accident to clear can only begin to imagine what that’s going to feel like.
Also, there’s no guarantee that anyone on Long Island or Miami will be able to drive anywhere, unless they own a submersible car. There’s that thought too…
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