Extreme weather is all over the place. People in Phoenix suffered with temperatures above 110 for a whole month this summer. Coral is dying in Florida because the ocean is too hot. Forest fires broke out in Greece and the desert flooded in Palm Springs.
For people looking to get away from all that, The New York Times suggested Cincinnati would be a good climate-friendly refuge. It cites fewer weather events and the ability to take in newcomers.
"Some cities meet these standards. Detroit, Cincinnati and Buffalo, N.Y., are common examples," the paper writes. "They are in regions with more climate-friendly geography. And they have one thing in common: Their populations have shrunk by the hundreds of thousands since the 1950s, leaving them with both a desire to bring people back and many empty buildings that could be turned into housing."
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But the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio, doesn't necessarily think Cincinnati is the answer, saying the Midwest has its own weather challenges like tornadoes and blizzards.
Temps are rising here, too
Climate Central says the high temperature in August in Cincinnati has increased nearly two degrees since 1970.
Predicting heat events is more nuanced than tornadoes or hurricanes. That's why there's excitement over a new National Weather Service prototype. HeatRisk forecasts heat for a specific location, designates a level of heat concern, and identifies groups most at risk.
Climate Central Oceanographer Andy Pershing says the NWS has rolled it out in the Western U.S.
"It will (be) this much more locally specific and a much more objective way of identifying when heat is likely to be stressed for people and allow people to sort of see themselves a little bit more in the data and think more about their personal risks," he says.
Pershing, in a webinar from the American Association of the Advancement of Science, says expect temperatures to continue to rise this year because El Niño, the climate pattern in the Pacific, is just getting started.
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The Economic Times quotes forecasters who say Ohio should prepare for a milder winter. There will be drier-than-average conditions and higher temperatures as El Niño develops.
The NWS says eventually, we will have data from HeatRisk for Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. This prototype and others around the world that look at extreme weather could be valuable as cities try to adapt their infrastructure to protect their residents.
Other possible adaptations
Alice Hill created the Department of Homeland Security's first ever climate adaption plan and is now a senior fellow for energy and the environment at the Council on Foreign Relations. In this August webinar, she talked about how hard and expensive adaptation is.
"Adaptation is many thousands of decisions. How high should the drainage pipe be? How much flammable material do you need? What's the setback on the vegetation? What's the elevation of the home? Is the area going to be flooded and burned again? Should we even build there?"
She says the poor nations of the world have been asking for a Loss and Damage Fund to help them pay for adaptation going forward. The UN created the fund but wealthier nations haven't put any money into it yet.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is trying to come up with different standards to assist more people dealing with climate change.
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Hill made this alarming statement during the webinar: "This will probably be among the coolest summers for anyone born this year that they will ever experience in their lifetime," she said. "We're headed for a heap of heat going forward."
How is climate change affecting me?
What will climate change cost you? Type in your address to find out from the First Street Foundation.
How much hotter is your hometown than when you were born? Find out in this New York Times calculator.
