If the weather pattern holds through the week, 2024 will go on record for the most days above 90°F days in Buffalo during the month of June. For lifetime residents, this type of warm weather is a relatively new concern. With all of the reporting that Buffalo is expected to be a climate refuge, it is important to note that our region spends little time preparing for heat. It won’t get as hot as elsewhere in the country (the temperature at the Buffalo weather station has never reached 100°), but we will not be immune to the effects of a rising global temperature.
Heat is the latest focus for Great Lakes Now, a public media initiative that covers the latest news and stories from the Great Lakes region. In addition to their weekly half-hour program (locally broadcast Sunday mornings at 10 am on WNED-TV), they produce great research pieces published on their website, including one directly related to our current heat wave.
Their report, Heat Islands in the Great Lakes: The human health cost, deals with the new struggles facing residents in the larger Great Lakes cities. The heat island effect is directly related to our urban environments. Stone, concrete, and asphalt absorb heat from the sun and slowly release it back into the environment (see Culdesac, a car-free neighborhood outside of Phoenix, Arizona – the hottest city in the US). Downtown environments also trap additional heat with their taller buildings and narrower streets which decrease air flow. More natural settings that include grass and trees and ponds trap much less heat due through transpiration – losing moisture and heat similar to human sweating.
In the natural cycle of things, heat stored during the day is lost during the cooler nights. This is important as human bodies need time to cool off. Typically, that would happen in sleep, when body temperature naturally dips. Today the issue is that night time temperatures aren’t cooling down. In fact, more record highs are being set for overnight “low temperatures” than for daytime highs.
Western New York has historically depended on Lake Erie and Lake Ontario to serve as the region’s summer air conditioner. Those days are numbered as the lake temperatures are creeping up every year in lock-step with the warming climate. During the brief warm-up a couple of weeks ago, a water temperature of 70°F was recorded in the Buffalo Harbor, a temperature usually not seen before the Fourth of July. In addition, we had an ice-free Lake Erie this year which allows the lake to start with more heat gained earlier in the year.
Since the 1950’s, the Great Lakes region has had a 2.3 °F raise in average temperatures, which has contributed to an additional 9-10 frost-free days for the year. Forecasts for this year are predicting a hotter than average summer, but with the ten hottest global temperatures recorded in the last ten years, the scientists need to rethink what “average” means in our warming world.
With the warm week ahead, it is important to note that it isn’t just uncomfortable, it can be harmful to your health. Heat stroke, dehydration, and respiratory conditions like asthma affected by worsen air quality are just a few things to be worried about if you need to go outside. The heat also affects your pets. Before you walk them on the sidewalk or parking lot, test the surface with your hand. If it is too hot for you, it’s too hot for their paws.
Have a plan to beat the heat. If your home is not air conditioned, know where to go to beat the heat. Check with you community to see if they have set up cooling centers – some of the public pools and splash pads are already open.
| City/Town | Pool Opening Date |
| City of Buffalo | Spash pads – currently open Outdoor pools – July 1 |
| City of Tonawanda | July 1 |
| Town of Tonawanda | June 19 |
| Town of Amherst | June 21 |
| Town of Clarence | June 16 |
| Town of Cheektowaga | June 21 |
| Town of Lancaster | Weekends starting June 15 Daily starting June 29 |
| Town of West Seneca | June 26 |
| Village of Hamburg | June 8 |
| Town of Aurora | June 1 |
| Town of Evans | July 1 |
| Town of Eden | Weekends starting June 15 Daily starting June 29 |
If you only have a window unit, don’t try to cool the whole house with it. Bring your activities closer to the A/C unit and close the doors to the rest of the house and you will be more comfortable. Close the curtains on the sunny side of the house to block the heat of the sun. Wait until it cools down at night and open the windows on opposite sides of the home to get a cross breeze. Close them as soon as the heat returns to save the cooler air in your house.
Keep yourself hydrated. Have an extra pitcher of water in your refrigerator. Use it to wet a towel and place it around your neck to cool off. A shower will also help you cool off. Avoid using devices during the day like an oven that will heat your home.
That was just a random list of things I did growing up in a brick ranch without A/C, and buying a window A/C for my first house (another brick ranch) to beat the heat. That was when I thought it was unbearable when it got into the mid-80s. As we may see our first 90° day of the year before you read this, hope you are staying cool.
For an interactive look into how concrete and asphalt create heat islands, check out the Reuters article The floor is lava.
Additional Buffalo weather-related information, including a list of cooling centers, splash pads, and pools can be found at www.buffalony.gov/heat.
