CLEVELAND, Ohio — More of the nation, including parts of Ohio, soon could be part of an “extreme heat belt” in which the heat index commonly reaches 125 degrees.
The study released Monday by the First Street Foundation says that by 2053, the heat belt could stretch from northern Texas and Louisiana to Wisconsin, affecting nearly 108 million residents. People living in these areas will experience at least one day a year when the heat index exceeds 125 degrees, which the National Weather Service considers the extreme danger level.
Currently, about 8 million residents are impacted by heat indexes in the extreme danger level, the study says.
The study shows that the Cincinnati area is considered a major risk for experiencing extreme heat. Cleveland and Northeast Ohio are considered a moderate risk. (The risk factor for locations in Ohio and elsewhere can be checked here.)
Noboru Nakamura, a professor of geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago, tells NBC News says an increase in extreme heat in the central part of the U.S. could create problems for farmers.
“If there are hot spots and dry spells in these places, farmers will have to shift their priorities and what types of crops they’ll plant, and that will all have a lot of long-term consequences,” Nakamura tells NBC News.
An increase in heat also will lead to more health problems for people living in those areas, NBC News reports.
CBS News reports the U.S. is setting heat records this summer, with Utah having 16 straight days of temperatures of 100 degrees or higher.
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