America’s ‘Severe Heat Belt’: Five Cities Most Vulnerable to Increased Extreme Heat Days Over the Next 30 Years

About a quarter of America’s land area could soon become uninhabitable.

A growing region in the US now home to more than 100 million Americans will reach temperatures as high as 125°F (52°C) over the next three decades, according to a new report from the Risk Research Group. First Street climate nonprofit.

The area, known as the “ring of extreme heat,” stretches from the northern border of Texas and Louisiana to Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin and will expand from 50 counties in 2023 to more than 1,000 by 2053.

All temperatures above 125°F regardless of humidity or climate are considered “extremely hazardous” by the National Weather Servicewhere prolonged exposure or strenuous activity increases the risk of heatstroke, cardiovascular problems and death.

Long-term exposure to extreme heat has also been found to impair motor functions, damage organs and cells, even DNA.

The First Street report indicates that the number of people in the US exposed to temperatures of 125°F is expected to increase from 8 million in 2023 to 107 million in 2053.

The report also measures the number of days of extreme heat a city will experience. The five cities most vulnerable to increased extreme heat days are St. Louis and Kansas City in Missouri, Memphis, Tennessee, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Chicago, Illinois.

“We need to prepare for the inevitable, that a quarter of the country will soon be in the Heat Belt, with temperatures exceeding extremes,” said Matthew Eby, founder and CEO of the First Street Foundation. exceed 125°F and the results will be dire. in a statement.

Population growth

Many states in the extreme heat belt have also seen rapid increases in their population sizes before the pandemic.

The report examined different regions by the number of days the heat index would exceed 100°F and found that the 20 hottest counties, most of which are in the Sunbelt region, will have more than 100 days per year in 2020. 2053.

According to Census Bureau data, the Sunbelt area stretches across the southeast and southwest of the United States from Florida to California, including six of the 10 fastest-growing states.

Texas, which has held four of the only five counties in the U.S. with more than 100 days of temperatures above 100°F, has seen the largest influx of people over the years, with 500,000 people moving to the state in 2019. , follow to Texas Relocation Report 2021.

Abby Corbett, senior economist at real estate research firm CoStar, “Sunbelt continues to have the fastest growth of any major US market. Talk to FT.

“Households and businesses also continue to flock to markets across states like Texas, Florida, Arizona, Georgia and the Carolinas, despite the nation’s growing climate risks and challenges. family”.

As extreme heat becomes worse in the coming years as a direct result of climate change, managing these risks is becoming an important factor in purchasing real estate.

First Street created a online mapthis will tell visitors the heat risk to their property, today and up to 30 years into the future.