The City of Austin has released a series of documents to help the community and city departments prepare for the impacts of rising temperatures as summer approaches. These documents include updated Climate Projections for the Austin area, the 2024 Summer Outlook, and the Heat Resilience Playbook.
“As we move into summer, we must acknowledge the increasing temperatures affecting our community," said Zach Baumer, Austin’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “These documents provide essential science-based information to help our City departments and community members understand the climate impacts affecting Austin now and in the future — and how we can address them.”
The Climate Projections and Summer Outlook were developed through the UT-City Climate CoLab, a collaborative effort between the City’s Offices of Sustainability and Resilience and researchers at the University of Texas at Austin. Established in 2023, CoLab is noted as being the first city-specific climate collaborative globally.
“Austin has experienced a series of weather extremes in recent years, from droughts and heat waves to heavy rain events and deep freezes,” said Dev Niyogi, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at UT's Jackson School of Geosciences. “The City and community members are deeply invested in understanding and preparing for future changes in our climate. The UT-City Climate CoLab represents a significant step in linking scientific advances with practical city needs.”
The latest Climate Projections for Austin indicate that climate change will lead to hotter summers with more frequent heatwaves. Rainfall projections remain uncertain but are expected to stay relatively unchanged overall. More extreme weather variability is anticipated along with an increase in windy days. Temperatures above 110°F are expected to become more common.
For Summer 2024, it is likely that Austin will experience higher-than-normal temperatures, with some days reaching between 105° and 110°F. The first 100-degree day this summer is predicted for early June.
Due to transitioning from El Niño to La Niña conditions alongside an active hurricane season forecasted, precipitation patterns may vary significantly. While drier conditions are expected later in summer due to La Niña, heavy rainstorms could occur during this transition period.
The Office of Resilience has also developed Austin’s first-ever Heat Resilience Playbook in collaboration with various stakeholders. It outlines existing efforts by the city towards heat resilience focusing on three main pillars: supporting healthy Austinites, prioritizing cooling investments in high-heat neighborhoods, and enhancing infrastructure adaptability.
As climate change continues impacting Austin, proactive measures are deemed essential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while preparing both city infrastructure and community members for extreme weather events. The recent publications aim to facilitate informed decision-making based on scientific data provided by ongoing collaborations like UT-City Climate CoLab.