How the Impacts of Climate Change Present Differently Across the U.S.

A new study is shedding light on how global warming is impacting the U.S. at different rates. While some areas of the nation are dealing with extreme warming, other regions are experiencing little to no warming. Here is a deeper dive on what the latest information is telling us about how not all warming looks the same, even within U.S. borders.

Climate Change Across the U.S. is Not Evenly Distributed

Recent data released by PLOS Climate shows how global warming across the U.S. is not a simple story. Rather than temperatures that are increasing at a steady pace across the country, climate change in America varies significantly from region to region.

Most studies on climate change understandably lean in on average temperatures to tell the story. However, this latest study took a different approach to understanding how global warming is impacting the U.S. The researchers looked at daily temperatures from highs to lows from 1950 to 2021. By looking at the entire range, the study examined the coldest days of the year, the hottest readings, and all of the temperatures in between.

The scientists found that only 55% of the states in the U.S. demonstrated clear global warming when looking at only the average temperatures. However, when analyzing the full range of temperatures, the research showed that 84% of the U.S. states were under some degree of climate change.