By 2080, cities in Hampton Roads doubtless may have a local weather extra much like south Louisiana at the moment, in response to a map launched by the College of Maryland Heart for Environmental Science.
College and researchers used climate-analog mapping, which matches the anticipated future local weather at one location with the present local weather of one other. Utilizing information from the Intergovernmental Panel on Local weather Change, College of Maryland professor and affiliate director for analysis Matthew Fitzpatrick matched greater than 40,000 locations across the globe to close by areas experiencing their future predicted local weather in 2080.
“In 50 years, the Northern Hemisphere cities to the north are going to turn into far more like cities to the south,” Fitzpatrick mentioned. “All the pieces is transferring towards the equator by way of the local weather that’s coming for you.
“And the nearer you get to the equator, there are fewer and fewer good matches for climates in locations like Central America, south Florida and northern Africa. There isn’t any place on earth consultant of what these locations will probably be like sooner or later.”
For Hampton Roads residents, the analysis concluded the area will extra intently resemble southern Louisiana.
Newport Information, Hampton and Williamsburg are estimated to have summers about 10 levels hotter than at the moment, and winters are anticipated to be as a lot as 9 levels hotter. This is able to put the cities’ local weather extra intently to Kaplan, Louisiana, a small metropolis close to the Gulf Coast, in response to the analysis.
Kaplan is about 30 miles south of Lafayette, and summer time temperatures common between 89 and 91 levels, relying on the month. The common summer time temperature in Newport Information is between 86 and 90.
Cities in South Hampton Roads are estimated to extra intently resemble Erath, Louisiana, about 15 miles east of Kaplan. This implies summers may very well be 9.3 levels hotter and eight% wetter in 2080 than at the moment. Erath’s summer time temperatures common between 90 and 91 levels. Norfolk’s common summer time temperatures are between 76 and 80 (relying on the month), in response to historic information from Nationwide Climate Service in Wakefield.
Richmond may find yourself extra like Channelview, Texas, a suburb of Houston.
Although summers are traditionally sizzling in southeast Virginia, local weather change has exacerbated high heat levels that, at some instances, are harmful for individuals’s well being, and it will probably have an effect on some neighborhoods greater than others. Excessive warmth is the most dangerous weather event by way of loss of life, surpassing tornados, hurricanes and different extreme storms, in response to the NWS.
Every year, excessive warmth occasions contribute to tons of of deaths in the USA. This week, cities throughout the area opened cooling centers as temperatures surpassed 90 levels and warmth indices averaged between 105-115 levels. Cooling facilities supplied an air conditioned house for weak populations, together with older adults, younger youngsters and homeless people.
“I hope that it continues to tell the dialog about local weather change,” Fitzpatrick mentioned. “I hope it helps individuals higher perceive the magnitude of the impacts and why scientists are so involved.”
Eliza Noe, eliza.noe@virginiamedia.com
