Name: How Extreme Heat Overwhelms the Human Body
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As the climate warms, small changes in average temperature can have big impacts, including an increase in the number of people exposed to extreme heat.

When it comes to extreme weather, heat can be a “silent killer.”

How Extreme Heat Overwhelms the Human Body

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As the climate warms, small changes in average temperature can have big impacts, including an increase in the number of people exposed to extreme heat.

When it comes to extreme weather, heat can be a “silent killer.”

Body & Brain

How Extreme Heat Overwhelms the Human BodyPublished April 12, 2023NARRATOR: When it comes to our changing weather, heat is one of the biggest killers.JOHN MORALES: I don't think people immediately think heat waves. They think hurricanes. We think wildfires. But heat is the silent killer.NARRATOR: Since the 1930s, average temperatures in Atlanta have risen about three degrees Fahrenheit. But the average isn't what matters.BERNADETTE WOODS PLACKY: When you shift that a couple of degrees, it puts you in a whole different climate zone. It's a bell curve. We're looking at a distribution of temperatures, a couple of degrees, a slight change in that average shifts you into an entirely new area where the hot get put in extreme heat. That's when we have to rearrange our lifestyle.NARRATOR: Extreme heat overwhelms human bodies, muscles, slow, heartbeats weaken, blood pressures plunge, kidneys shut down. Days over 90 degrees have been linked to over a thousand deaths a year in the U.S.BRIAN STONE: Most cities only utilize a single thermometer to measure the weather. That is your basic airport weather station. And that is a rather ludicrous proposition. We need to be measuring temperature and humidity extensively across cities.

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How Extreme Heat Overwhelms the Human Body

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