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The Union of Concerned Scientists has singled out St. Louis for inclusion in a special study. Unfortunately, it is a study of climate change since 1946. And the news is not good.
"Dangerously hot summer days are becoming more common across the Midwest," says the UCS"Heat in the Heartland" study. "This trend poses growing risks for public health and well-being."
Hot air masses have become hotter and more humid during nighttime hours, the report says. The number of hot, humid days has increased and hot, dry days have become hotter. Heat waves lasting three days or longer have become more common. Cooler, dryer summer days that bring relief come less frequently.
The report looked at weather trends in five metro areas — Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Minneapolis and St. Louis — and trends in smaller cities nearby, including Columbia, Mo., and Peoria, Ill.
A major problem: Nighttime temperatures in the summer don't go down as far as they used to. People who don't have air-conditioning get less relief. In St. Louis, the report said, temperatures on hot, humid nights have risen by 2.1 degrees over the past 65 years. On hot, dry nights, temperatures at 3 a.m. are an average of 4.4 degrees higher than they were in 1946.
