Another heat wave is gripping Charlotte, and today marks a peak in the high temperatures.
A summer day in Charlotte was more likely to be mild 47 years ago. Charlotte averages 20 more 90-degree days than it did then, according to research group Climate Central.
Justin Lane is the lead meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Greenville-Spartanburg office. He said Charlotte’s averaged 9 days above 95 over the past few decades. The record — set in 2015 — is 24 days.
“We’re approaching that record. We can say … certainly above normal, but not unprecedented,” Lane said.
The highs Monday will rival the current record-holder for the hottest day this year, July 2. Health experts advise seeking shade, staying indoors and avoiding alcohol and high-fructose corn syrup when hydrating.
Cooling centers are open across the county. Charlotte buses and trains will shuttle residents to cooling centers for free during this heat wave.
Stacking the deck in favor of warmer summers
Summers in the Charlotte region have trended warmer over the last few decades. To understand this change, imagine a deck of cards containing a mixture of hot and cool North Carolina summers. As global average temperatures increase, the deck contains fewer cool summers and more hot, humid ones. Whenever you pull a summer out of the deck, it can still come out cool — it’s just less likely.
“It’s not a situation where every summer is hotter than the previous one. It kind of varies,” Lane said.
Humans have burned enough fossil fuels to significantly raise global temperatures. Higher surface temperatures in the western Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico have increased summer humidity in North Carolina, according to Lane.
“As the temperatures of the oceans increase, so does the amount of moisture that evaporates off of them,” Lane said.
This is most apparent in the higher overnight lows that the state is experiencing. The extra humidity is raising summer dew points. The humid air cools less effectively than dry air, leading to warmer temperatures.
