Extreme heat is responsible for more fatalities in the United States annually than any other weather-related event, including floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes combined—and it’s only getting hotter. 2024 was the hottest year in recorded history, and 2025 was projected to be even warmer.
Hotter temperatures are felt most acutely in dense urban environments, where buildings, paved roads, and parking lots absorb and retain heat. Data shows that in Yonkers, urban heat 'islands' - where it's hottest on a hot day - are closely mapped to neighborhoods affected historically by redlining. That means those least able to afford solutions are most vulnerable to the problems.
Forecasts for Yonkers show by 2050 we'll have 30 days per year over 92 degrees, a stressful temperature with a potential 'real feel' impact well into the 100s. These temperatures pose immediate and long-term health risks including heat exhaustion or heat stroke, strain to internal organs, mental health difficulties, adverse birth outcomes and more. Air pollution is worse in the heat. Economic productivity plummets, electricity grids are pushed to their limits, and hospital capacity becomes strained.
Groundwork Hudson Valley is working to educate communities and decision-makers about the risks -- and what we can do.
