TOLEDO, Ohio — While summer hasn’t officially started yet, we sure felt the heat this week across northwest Ohio.
Temperatures surged near triple digits on Wednesday. Toledo Express Airport reached a record high of 98 degrees, breaking the old record from 1994 by 2 degrees.
The humidity made for a sultry feel with heat indices of 105-110. Extreme heat will grow more common in the future due to climate change. Let’s talk about the link between summer heat and global warming:
Climate change has impacted nearly every city, state, and country in the world. The entire United States has warmed substantially, and Ohio’s temperature has risen 2.7 degrees since 1970. 45 of the 50 states have warmed by at least 2 degrees in the last 50 years.
While the Buckeye State has felt a warming trend, the temperature rise has been especially significant in the Toledo metro area. Temperatures in the Glass City have risen 4 degrees since 1970, almost double the warming of the rest of the United States.
If you’ve lived in northwest Ohio or southeast Michigan your entire life, you’ve likely witnessed this trend firsthand. Temperatures will continue to climb over the 21st century, exacerbating summertime heat.
Even if you enjoy the summer heat, the warming trend has impacted the elderly, youth, and those with respiratory conditions. Summer heat traps pollutants near the Earth’s surface, contributing to poor air quality.
The heat directly impacts the health of those with asthma and other lung conditions. Poor air quality can also impact young people, especially those who are active with sports and recreation. This depletion of air quality will continue in the future due to warming summer temperatures.
Summer heat is growing more common and intense due to climate change. The WTOL 11 weather team is forecasting lower temperatures and humidity for Father’s Day Weekend, but the extreme heat will be back next week.
Stay tuned to WTOL 11 for the latest 10-day forecast and climate information.
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