US Military on the Front Lines of Extreme Heat

Published Nov 11, 2019 Updated Jan 24, 2020

Downloads

Updated Jan 24, 2020 to include new policy memo.

Over the next three decades, military bases in the contiguous United States could average an extra month of dangerously-hot days each year when the heat index—or “feels like” temperature—exceeds 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

This analysis calculates the increase in dangerously hot days that the 169 major military installations in the contiguous US would experience in the future under three different climate scenarios.

The analysis features an interactive map highlighting the results; a review of the results by military branch, including top 10 lists; and a fact sheet and spreadsheet with complete data, both of which can be downloaded below.

For more on the health risks of extreme heat and the methodology and assumptions used for this analysis, see the companion report Killer Heat in the United States: Climate Choices and the Future of Dangerously Hot Days.

Citation

Dahl, Kristina, and Shana Udvardy. 2019. US Military on the Front Lines of Extreme Heat. Cambridge, MA: Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/us-military-bases-risk-extreme-heat