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A powerful new tool reveals how climate change could transform your hometownhttps://www.businessinsider.in/a-powerful-new-tool-reveals-how-climate-change-could-transform-your-hometown/the-first-thing-you-notice-when-tooling-around-in-the-climate-explorer-is-how-dramatically-different-the-first-scenario-looks-from-the-second-/slidelist/58136914.cms2017-04-12T01:13:14+05:30

A powerful new tool reveals how climate change could transform your hometown

Apr 12, 2017, 01:13 IST

The first thing you notice when tooling around in the Climate Explorer is how dramatically different the first scenario looks from the second.

This image swipes back and forth between the two scenarios in a map of the country in 2090. Darker shades of red indicate more days each year above 95 degrees Farenheit.

That darkest red, visible around Phoenix, Arizona, as well as parts of southern Texas and Florida in the high-emissions scenario, indicates as many as 225 days over 95 each year.

This image swipes back and forth between the two scenarios in a map of the country in 2090. Darker shades of red indicate more days each year above 95 degrees Farenheit.

That darkest red, visible around Phoenix, Arizona, as well as parts of southern Texas and Florida in the high-emissions scenario, indicates as many as 225 days over 95 each year.

But this isn't just a tool for looking at the whole country. It's a tool for thinking about your town. Zoom in on Cherry Hill, New Jersey — the town I lived in as a kid — and a chart pops up.

But the map isn't just good for examining changes in heat. Here's what happens when you look at changes in precipitation in the West.

The other area expected to get a bit wetter over time, particularly in the lower emissions scenario, is the mid-Atlantic. The change is nowhere near as intense as in California, however.

The tool also lets you explore what average temperatures are likely to be during four months of the year: July, October, January, and April. Here's how the region around Texas looks in 2090 in the high-emissions scenario.

And here's the low-emissions scenario.

The tool also shows how winters are expected to change over time. Here's what winter in Chicago looked like in 1970.

Here's 2010.

And here's 2090.

And here's what all that data for Cook County's average daily maximums in January looks like on the chart.

You can find your own hometown in the explorer on NOAA's website by clicking below.

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