More Extremely Hot Days for School Sports

Climate Central analysis shows that 88% of 242 analyzed U.S. cities have seen an increase in extremely hot days since 1970, posing significant risks of heat-related illness and death for student athletes, particularly youth and teens.

• An analysis of 242 U.S. cities from 1970 to 2023 found that the annual number of extremely hot days increased in 212 locations, representing 88% of the sample.
• The majority of analyzed locations (71%) now experience at least seven more extremely hot days per year than they did in the early 1970s. On average, the 212 locations with an increase now see 15 more extremely hot days annually.
• Eighteen cities, primarily in the South and Southeast, have seen an increase of at least 30 extremely hot days per year since 1970, with Miami, Florida experiencing the highest increase of 50 days.
• Youth and teen athletes are at higher risk for heat-related illnesses because children acclimate to heat more slowly and sweat less than adults; according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, such illnesses are a leading cause of death or disability among high school and college athletes.

APA

Casa, D., & Stearns, R. (2024). More Extremely Hot Days for School Sports. Climate Central. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/extremely-hot-days-school-sports

Chicago

Casa, Doug, and Rebecca Stearns. More Extremely Hot Days for School Sports. Climate Central, 2024. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/extremely-hot-days-school-sports.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Casa |first1=Doug |last2=Stearns |first2=Rebecca |title=More Extremely Hot Days for School Sports |publisher=Climate Central |date=23 July 2024 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/extremely-hot-days-school-sports |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{casa2024more, author = {Casa, Doug and Stearns, Rebecca}, title = {{More Extremely Hot Days for School Sports}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/extremely-hot-days-school-sports}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }