Austin in 2100: Extreme weather, strained infrastructure, report says
By Philip Jankowski
In a world where reliance on fossil fuels continues, Austin could see its average high temperature in the summer soar from 94 to 104 degrees by the end of the century.
How the city might respond to that kind of climate change over the next 80 years is the focus of a report commissioned by Austin leaders. The report, released Friday, gives numerous recommendations on how the city should prepare for more extreme weather that includes more floods, wildfires and droughts.
But the report also provides data on what the city could face at the turn of the next century.
According to weather records going back to the 1890s, Austin experiences triple-digit temperatures, on average, about 13 days a year. That could jump to 80 days a year. Usually, temperatures top 110 degrees only twice a year. That could jump to 20 times a year.
The report found that Austin would see changes similar to most of the country.
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