Bryan-College Station Endures Record Summer Temperatures

Bryan-College Station is enduring record-breaking heat temperatures this summer, with the average summer temperature seeing an alarming increase of over 4 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 50 years. Experts predict that this trend will continue, causing dangerous heat conditions in this region.

Half a Century of Rising Temperatures

According to the 2024 summer package released by Climate Central, a policy-neutral 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the average summer temperature in Bryan-College Station has heightened by 4.3 degrees during the day and 3.8 degrees during the night from 1970 to 2023. This relentless heat poses significant risks to the area, which is already highly vulnerable to heat-related impacts based on data from the Center for Disease, Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Heat and Health Index. The 77840 ZIP code area of College Station, for instance, is listed in the top 87% nationwide for heat-related vulnerability.

Dire Consequences for Local Residents

Shel Winkley, a seasoned meteorologist who worked in Bryan-College Station for 14 years, emphasized that five of the 10 hottest days ever recorded in this area occurred after 2009. “I think the afternoon temperatures get the biggest attention because that’s what you feel and experience the most; 112 Fahrenheit was our hottest temperature ever recorded, and then last summer we did that two or three times,” Winkley described. He also pointed out the dangerous trend of warmer nighttime temperatures, especially for individuals who are older or suffer from chronic illnesses.

Texas State Climatologist Acknowledges Climate Change

Recognizing the severe impacts of climate change in the region, Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon noted that global temperatures are increasing due to faster energy absorption than loss to space, primarily caused by greenhouse gases. In Texas, temperatures are growing at about 25%-30% faster than the global average. Nielsen-Gammon also noted rising temperatures have contributed to unpredictable rainfall patterns.

Escalating Heat-related Casualties

Last year, two Texas A&M University atmospheric scientists published a research article indicating that heat-related deaths in the U.S. could multiply by a factor of five if the current warming trends persist. Andrew Dessler, a Texas A&M Atmospheric Science Professor, warned about the profound implications of this finding. “Our study was of the U.S. and it looked like [a five-fold increase] would happen around 3 degrees [Celsius] of warming, which is kind of where we’re heading for right now,” he said.

Urgency to Address Climate Change

Dessler stresses the necessity to address this climate change problem immediately. As the current rate of heating accelerates the planet, the Earth is projected to reach a potentially deadly 3 degrees C (6 degrees F) increase by 2100, proving how increasingly vital it is to stop the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and hasten the transition of our energy system to renewable energy. Furthermore, Dessler cautioned that climate change’s gradual impacts can be as noteworthy as its worst-case scenarios, continually “chipping away at our lives.”

Call to Overcome Denial and Take Action

Admittedly frustrated by people who continue to deny human-induced climate change, Dessler expressed that the solution lies within political will rather than a lack of scientific evidence. “It’s not a scientific question. It’s not a technical question. It’s whether we are strong enough to overcome the fossil fuels industry,” he stated, emphasizing the urgent need for collective, decisive action.