Urban Heat Islands
Cities are almost always hotter than the surrounding rural area but global warming takes that heat and makes it worse.
Explore top RI risks:
Climate change means more mosquito days, increasing Zika risk.
Summers are getting muggier as the dewpoint temperature rises.
By 2050, the typical number of heat wave days in Rhode Island is projected to quadruple from more than 10 to approximately 40 days a year.
More than 25,000 people living in Rhode Island are especially vulnerable to extreme heat.
As summers get hotter under the planet’s growing blanket of heat-trapping greenhouse gases, the worst of it will happen downtown rather than out of town.
In Rhode Island, there are nearly 27,000 people living in areas at an elevated risk of inland flooding.
Across most of the country, the heaviest downpours are happening more frequently, delivering a deluge in place of what would have been routine heavy rain.
18.4 million gallons of sewage spilled in Rhode Island from Hurricane Sandy.
Heavy downpours are on the rise across the U.S.
The most extreme precipitation events have increased in every region of the contiguous states since the 1950s.
Climate change causing more nuisance flooding in Rhode Island
Today, Rhode Island has 25,000 people at risk of coastal flooding. By 2050, an additional 8,000 people are projected to be at risk due to sea level rise.
Atlantic hurricane season is seeing more major storms
Sea level threats down to zip code
Type a coastal place name in Rhode Island and find local projections, maps and potential impacts on people, infrastructure, and much more with our interactive tool.
What's Happening in Your Region?
Massachusetts
New England is Wicked Dry Right Now With Little Relief In Sight
Boston just had its driest summer on record with precipitation more than 6.5 inches below average. It also had its hottest August on record, which has helped bake in the dryness... More
Massachusetts
Climate Change Is Coming For Your Maple Syrup
“In general over New York and New England, the season is now beginning about seven days earlier than it did 40-50 years ago and ending 10 days earlier."... More
North Carolina
Sinking Atlantic Coastline Meets Rapidly Rising Seas
New research using GPS and prehistoric data has shown that nearly the entire coast is affected, from Massachusetts to Florida and parts of Maine... More
Georgia
What a Warmer Future Means for Southeastern Wildfires
Tinder-dry conditions that have resulted from months with little to no rain and toasty fall temperatures have allowed the fires to reach unusual heights. More
