Louisiana finds itself among the highest-risks states in the country for dangerous humid heat each year. That’s the conclusion from Climate Central, a nonprofit news organization that analyzes and reports on climate science.
The term ‘dangerous humid heat’ refers to weather conditions that combine extreme heat with high moisture, severely limiting the body’s ability to cool itself, primarily through sweating.
![The highest risk [top tier] states for dangerous humid in the Gulf South include Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. The states logged 100 days annually, on average, up from roughly fifty days a year in the 1970s, according to the nonprofit news organization Climate Central.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3505e7b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/840x472!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb8%2Fbe%2Fee1478644d45b7b5d6e0d0b4babc%2Fhumid-heat-gfx-map-6-26-26.jpg)
And a new climate analysis by Climate Central scientists and science journalists discovered that the number of days with dangerous humid heat each year has more than doubled since the 1970s across the Gulf South.
As Louisiana Public Radio reports, the highest risk states for humid heat in the region not only include Louisiana but also Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
In this top tier of risk, states logged 100 days annually on average. That’s up from roughly fifty days a year in the 1970s. In Louisiana, that means outdoor activity can quickly become hazardous without reliable cooling.
The analysis adds to research linking human-driven climate change to worsening summer heat. Health experts warn high humidity makes it harder for the body to cool itself through sweat, which increases the risk of heat-related illnesses and E-R visits.”
