You might be surprised to know that summer nights are warming much faster than days in the U.S. That’s according to data analysis by the climate science communication group Climate Central. The organization’s director of climate science explains how nights are getting warmer in the Great Lakes region and around the country.

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TRANSCRIPT:

MELBA LARA, HOST: It’s time for our weekly climate conversation. In the wake of Europe’s historic Heatwave, we thought we’d take a look at how hot it’s getting closer to home. And you might be surprised to know that summer nights are warming much faster than days in the US. That’s according to data analysis by a climate science communication group called Climate Central. Dr. Andrew Pershing is the director of climate science for Climate Central. And he joins us now. Andy, thanks for being here.

DR. ANDREW PERSHING: Hey, great to talk with you.

LARA: Let’s start first with what’s going on nationwide, how much warmer have our summer nights gotten over time?

PERSHING: So over the last 50 years, so starting in 1970, nighttime temperatures in the US during the summer have increased by about on average 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a pretty significant change, it’s quite a bit higher than the rates for the daytime temperatures.

LARA: And when you say 2.5 degrees, you know, we think “oh, it’s 70 to 72. 72 to 74. That doesn’t sound too bad…” but tell us why 2.5 degrees is a big deal?

PERSHING: That 2.5 degrees change, which is the average across the country, there are places in the country like Reno, Nevada, where it’s 17.3 degrees Fahrenheit. And those larger trends are very consistent in the southwest in the southeast.

LARA: And let’s talk about the Chicago area, how warmer are summer nights getting in the Chicago area compared to the rest of the country?

PERSHING: So Chicago is just a little bit below average, about two degrees Fahrenheit over this 50 year period. There are a few places in Illinois like Peoria, that had a bit of a higher trend, 3.7 degrees Fahrenheit in Peoria. So you’re pretty close to the average. And you know, if you move up to the north and west up into that kind of Upper Great Plains, that’s where you see some places that tend to be a little bit below average in terms of their warming rate.

LARA: And do we know why our region isn’t seeing as much of an impact?

PERSHING: Well, you know, we can flip it around and say, “Well, why is the Southwest in the southeast? Why are they seeing more of an impact, than you know, than you are?” I would say you’re kind of fairly typical of what we would expect. The Southeast really is getting these intensely warm nights because of all of the moisture that they get from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic. And that acts as a blanket and keeps things warmer at night. And then the Southwest has just had this extraordinary change in their climate, and you know, very, very intense warming in the Southwest in the day and at night. So you get these really strong trends.

LARA: And you know, those of us that think about heat, we usually think of it being most dangerous during the day when the sun is out. But talk to us about what risks these hot summer nights might pose.

PERSHING: You know, it depends a lot on where you live, on who you are and your particular circumstances. But you know, a lot of places in the country rely on Air Conditioning to keep cool, right? To make it comfortable and livable in those particular climates. These warm nights, what they mean is that you’re just having to run that air conditioner a lot more. And if you don’t have air conditioning, either because you can’t afford it or you live in the north in a house that maybe doesn’t have it, you’re going to really struggle to cool your house down at night, you’re going to struggle to be comfortable. And if you have underlying health conditions, you could really be at risk for a bad outcome.

LARA: Andy, thanks for talking to us about our increasingly warmer summer nights in the U.S.

PERSHING: Yeah, great to talk to you. Thank you.

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