Within two decades, climate change will have a striking but uneven effect on temperatures across the United States, according to a USA TODAY analysis of climate projection data.
The Gulf Coast could experience a significant increase in extreme heat. Large parts of the northern U.S. could see dramatic warming. And across the country, more Americans may be exposed to the harmful effects of heating.
These findings are part of a USA TODAY analysis of data from the Climate Impact Lab. The analysis uses county-level temperature projections to assess how annual warming and extreme heat are expected to change from 2020 to 2040.
Like most climate projections, this data shows the nation warming over the next two decades. But the analysis also highlights the potential for cooler regions of the U.S. to experience a significant increase in average annual temperatures. Meanwhile, hotter regions are expected to see the biggest increase in days above 90 degrees.
“We’re already experiencing an increase in warming and extreme heat across the country,” says Kelly McCusker, a climate scientist at the Climate Impact Lab. “I think a lot about how that will worsen … and how that heat affects people unequally.”