Axios has an item on how “9 of the 10 fastest-growing U.S. major metro areas are getting significantly hotter — and many face danger from other natural disasters.”
We’re talking places such as Las Vegas, Nev.; Raleigh, N.C.; Austin; Boise, Idaho; and Fort Myers, Fla.
It continues:
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Why it matters: This accelerating trend will strain cities’ water supplies and power grids, and put lots of Americans at risk of heat-related health crises, Axios’ Alex Fitzpatrick and Erin Davis report.
We defined “very hot” days as those with a high temperature in the top 5% ever recorded for that particular city.
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Las Vegas, Austin and Raleigh grew the fastest in “very hot” days between 1991-2020, with increases of 115%, 553% and 59%, respectively
And then it adds:
Americans are flocking to cities with a high risk of inhospitable conditions.
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In Florida, populations are booming up and down the state’s coasts, where hurricanes (including this week’s fearsome Ian) are an annual threat. Miami already struggles to keep up with rising floodwaters.
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Houston has perennial hurricane danger.
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Southern California faces growing threats from wildfires
So why would Americans be doing this? Perhaps because these places have many things to recommend them, and people figure, reasonably enough, that mitigation measures such as air conditioning are available to make any increased heat manageable, and that the risk of being directly affected by any given natural disaster is very, very low.