Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo will experience dangerous heat for nearly half the year by 2050, according to an analysis by Climate Central.
The nonprofit news and research organization analyzed weather trends and published the report Wednesday.
The analysis defined dangerous heat as a heat index greater than 105 degrees.
McAllen topped the list, with a projected 179 “danger days” by 2050. Brownsville placed third with 168.
“What we’re doing is taking hundreds of millions of years of photosynthetic products and burning it,” said Andrew McDonald, an associate professor of biology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. “Now everyone is doing that individually but the amount that we burn to warm our house, cool our house, to transport ourselves is not natural.”
McDonald said people should take notice of climate change before it’s too late.
“The models indicate that it’s out of control and if anything, we have underestimated the pace at which things are warming over the last 30 years,” McDonald said.
