We expect summers to be hot. But dangerous temperatures are an entirely different beast.
Every year, approximately 1,300 Americans die from exposure to extreme heat, which is the country’s #1 weather-related cause of death. Dangerous temperatures kill more people than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined. And unfortunately, Wisconsin’s problem is about to get even worse.
Here in the Badger State, temperatures have increased by about 3 degrees since 1950, according to the latest report from the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change, and are expected to warm by another two to eight degrees by 2050.
🗺️ MAP: How Much of the US Will Be Under ‘Extreme Heat’ By the 2050s
But what’s most concerning is this: The number of days hotter than 90 degrees is likely to triple by 2050, with southern cities like Milwaukee and Madison seeing three times as many days with a heat index above 105 by 2050. When temperatures reach that high, your vital organs can shut down without much warning.
One more alarming stat: The state as a whole is expected to see four times as many summer nights where the temperature doesn’t drop below 70 degrees. Right now, Milwaukee is the only Wisconsin city where that happens.
🥵 So what can we do? There are a number of small changes we can all make to reduce the impact we’re having on overall global warming, the root of Wisconsin’s changing climate. Scientists say these ten have the biggest impact.
Besides those, more immediately, it’s important for anyone who can to help people who don’t have a place to stay on Wisconsin’s hottest days. Groups like The Eras Senior Network in Milwaukee and Waukesha buy and install air conditioning units for seniors who can’t afford them (seniors are at highest risk for heat stroke.) Click here to learn more.
Finally, Wisconsin’s already-overwhelmed shelters continue to need help.
👉🏽 LIST: 12 Places in Wisconsin to Donate Clothes, Shoes, & More (that aren’t Goodwill)
