Temperature In The Southeast Region

The information below focuses on the changes of temperature the Southeast The states experiences.

Why practice I care? Having bones noesis of how an area is impacted by temperature as the climate changes is important for understanding what to expect for a sure season or calendar month.

I should already exist familiar with : Fronts, Temperature, Air Masses

Temperature

The climate during the summer flavor across the Southeast is uniform in many areas. High temperatures usually range around the upper 80s to lower 90s for most of the Southeast except in the mountains where it is cooler due to the higher elevation. Due to the close proximity of the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Sea, information technology is normally humid and thunderstorms occur often in the Southeast region.

Temperatures during the wintertime vary much more than during the summer. For case, it tin be eighty degrees F and sunny in Florida while places in the Appalachian Mountains deal with sub-freezing temperatures and blinding snow. Polar fronts tin dip downward as far south as Florida and bring freezing temperatures to about all the Southeast; however, farthermost cold air outbreaks where temperatures dip downwards beneath 0 degrees F are very rare, even in places similar Virginia and Due north Carolina. As i would expect, the more north y'all are, the colder the temperatures will be.

Extreme Low Temps in the Southeast
Effigy A. Farthermost low temperatures of SE.

Extreme High Temps in the Southeast
Effigy B. Extreme high temperatures of SE.

Average Yearly Temperatures for the Southeast
Figure C. Average yearly temperature of SE.

*Note: All temperatures listed on the maps are in degrees Fahrenheit.

How does this relate to public health?

Northward Carolina is expected to encounter a 4-vii°F increase past the terminate of the 21^st century. Moreover, its humid subtropical climate makes summertime heat that much more meaning. High humidity, warmer average temperatures and more than extreme temperatures directly put more than people at adventure for heat-related death and disease, such as heat stroke and dehydration.¹ For case, in Northward Carolina, the number of rut-related visits to the emergency section increases past 15.viii for every ane°F increment in temperature from 98°F to 100°F.²

In the summertime when air temperatures are already loftier, elevated humidity levels can increment people'due south take chances for heat-related illnesses.¹ This is because humidity in the air interferes with the trunk'due south natural cooling system, sweating. For instance, a heat index demonstrates the effect of humidity on days when the air temperature is 95°F outside, merely the high humidity levels make it experience twenty°F hotter exterior.ⁱⁱⁱ Symptoms of overheating include rut cramps, heat fainting, estrus exhaustion and heat stroke.

Older adults and immature children are vulnerable to rut-related illnesses. However, over the past two summers (2011-2012), North Carolina has seen the greatest number of heat-related visits to the emergency department amidst men ages 25-64.^4,5 In addition, heat stress increases the risk for other diseases, especially respiratory expiry. In the U.Due south., astringent heat events account for more deaths than all other weather-related events combined each year. With increasing temperatures due to climate change, summertime oestrus-related deaths are expected to increase significantly, while winter deaths are expected to decrease slightly.^ane

Warmer temperatures besides diminish air quality by increasing exposure levels of ground-level ozone. Ozone is a dangerous air pollutant that is damaging to lung tissue and lung function, and can exacerbate respiratory diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).^1,half-dozen

Effigy D: Warmer temperatures may atomic number 82 to diminished water quality, which in plow may lead to increased take a chance of foodborne illnesses from consumption of contaminated shellfish. (Prototype from U.s.a. FDA).

Finally, rising hateful temperatures may also diminish water quality, which volition in turn impact man health. Warmer temperatures may pb to the proliferation of pathogens and harmful leaner in drinking water, recreational waters, and marine waters.⁶ Exposure to these pathogens tin can result in waterborne diseases. For example, consumption of food such as shellfish that is contaminated withVibrio vulnificus, a naturally occurring estuarine bacterium, generally causes vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and/or death. Moreover, warmer temperatures accept been associated with an increase in harmful algal blooms (HABs) along the coasts of the U.Southward. Certain HABs are known to emit toxins that can crusade neurological impairment in humans.^seven

Indeed, the bear upon of ascension temperatures in the Southeast is significant and not limited to just public health. In addition to increased heat-related affliction, diminished air quality, and worsened water quality and availability, there may be increased demand for free energy as well as changes in constitute growth in North Carolina.⁸ The economy may besides suffer, as evidenced past the unprecedented 2007-2009 drought in the Southeast region of the U.Due south. that resulted in a loss of over $ane.three billion due to devastation of major crops such as corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton wool, and hay.^9,10

ⁱPortier CJ, et al. 2010. A human health perspective on climate change: a report outlining the research needs on the man health effects of climate alter. Inquiry Triangle Park, NC: Environmental Health Perspectives/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. doi:10.1289/ehp.1002272 <world wide web.niehs.nih.gov/climatereport> Accessed November 17, 2012.

²Rhea, S; et al. 2012. Using nearly real-time morbidity data to identify heat-related illness prevention strategies in Due north Carolina. Periodical of Community Health 37:495-500. DOI ten.1007/s10900-011-9469-0

³AchooAllergy.com. The effects of humidity on the human body. 2000. <http://world wide web.achooallergy.com/effects-of-humidity.asp> Accessed Nov 17, 2012.

⁴North Carolina Division of Public Health, Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology. The 2011 North Carolina heat study. July 2011. <http://publichealth.nc.gov/chronicdiseaseandinjury/dr./HeatReport-13-2011.pdf> Accessed November 17, 2012.

⁵North Carolina Division of Public Health, Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology. The 2012 Northward Carolina rut written report. <http://publichealth.nc.gov/chronicdiseaseandinjury/doc/HeatReport20-2012.pdf> Accessed November 17, 2012.

^sixEnvironmental Protection Agency. Climate change: Man impacts and adaptation. June 14, 2012. <http://world wide web.epa.gov/climatechange/impacts-accommodation/health.html#impacts> Accessed November 17, 2012.

⁷Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Harmful algal blooms (HABs). July 24, 2012. <http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hsb/hab/default.htm> Accessed Nov 17, 2012.

^viiiUNC Institute for the Environs, The University of Northward Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2009. Climate change committee report 2009. <http://www.ie.unc.edu/PDF/Climate_Change_Report.pdf> Accessed November 17, 2012.

⁹Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Environmental Protection Bureau, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Bureau, and American Water Works Clan. 2010. When every driblet counts: protecting public health. <http://world wide web.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/publications/Drought.htm>

¹⁰Manuel, J. 2008. Drought in the Southeast: Lessons for h2o management. Environews: Spheres of influence. Apr 116(iv):A168-A171.