Risky Summer Heat Added by Climate Change

Analysis by Climate Central indicates that June-August 2024 was the hottest season on record, with carbon pollution significantly increasing the frequency and intensity of risky heat days globally and in the U.S. Approximately 2 billion people worldwide experienced 30 or more risky heat days made at least three times more likely by climate change. In the U.S., the average person experienced 20 additional risky heat days, with the highest impacts concentrated in the South, Southeast, and Southwest, particularly in Florida and Puerto Rico.

• From June to August 2024, approximately 2 billion people, representing 25% of the global population, experienced 30 or more risky heat days that were made at least three times more likely due to climate change. This exposure included nearly the entire population of the Caribbean and at least 75% of people in Northern Africa, Southern Europe, Micronesia, and Western Asia.
• Global exposure to temperatures strongly influenced by climate change (CSI level 3 or higher) peaked on August 13, 2024, affecting 4.1 billion people, or 50% of the global population.
• In the United States, the average person experienced 20 additional days of risky heat from June-August 2024 because of climate change. Over 91 million people (27% of the population) experienced 30 or more risky heat days made at least two times more likely by climate change.
• The highest number of additional risky heat days in the U.S. were concentrated in the South, Southeast, and Southwest. San Juan, Puerto Rico, had the highest city-level increase with 64 extra risky heat days, while Florida had the highest state-level average with 41 additional days.
• Twenty-six U.S. cities experienced at least one dangerous extreme heat wave (five or more consecutive days hotter than 99% of 1991-2020 records) between June and August 2024. Such heat waves are now, on average, 14 times more likely due to human-caused climate change.

APA

Climate Central (2024). Risky Summer Heat Added by Climate Change. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/risky-summer-heat-2024

Chicago

Climate Central. Risky Summer Heat Added by Climate Change. 2024. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/risky-summer-heat-2024.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Risky Summer Heat Added by Climate Change |date=18 September 2024 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/risky-summer-heat-2024 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2024risky, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Risky Summer Heat Added by Climate Change}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/risky-summer-heat-2024}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }