US faces exceptional day of ‘climate change-driven heat’ Friday

A coast to coast heat wave is bringing abnormally high temperatures to nearly half the United States population. And human caused climate change is a...

A coast-to-coast heat wave is bringing abnormally high temperatures to nearly half the United States population. And human-caused climate change is a big reason.

According to the Climate Shift Index from the science communications group Climate Central, Friday’s heat is being made at least three times as probable because of climate change.

"A forecast record 148 million Americans (~half of the country’s population) are expected to experience excessive temperatures made at least 3x more likely due to climate change,” Climate Central wrote on X.

Shel Winkley, a meteorologist for Climate Central, wrote that it would be "an unprecedented day of climate change-driven heat for the United States” on Friday.

Climate Central launched the Climate Shift Index in 2022 to help quantify and communicate how much climate change is contributing to the magnitude of heat waves. The previous record population exposed to heat intensified by climate change was 140.6 million on June 13, 2022, Climate Central wrote.