These U.S. cities are warming the fastest

(NEXSTAR) – The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970 – and a lot has changed since then. We’ve elected 10 presidents, survived a few recessions, and invented the Internet. The planet has also warmed by several degrees.
On average, the United States is about 2.6 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than it was in 1970, according to Climate Central, a group of scientists and journalists who study climate change and its impacts. But not all cities are warming at the same rate.
Climate Central analyzed data from 246 US cities and found that 99% of them – all but two – have warmed in the past 52 years. Nearly 70% of the cities analyzed have warmed by at least 2 degrees Fahrenheit.
The fastest warming cities, based on average annual temperature since 1970, are:
- Reno, Nevada (+7.7 degrees)
- Las Vegas (+5.9 degrees)
- El Paso, Texas (+5.1 degrees)
- Erie, PA (+4.7 degrees)
- Tucson, Arizona (+4.6 degrees)
- Chattanooga, Tennessee (+4.6 degrees)
- Burlington, Vermont (+4.5 degrees)
- Phoenix (+4.3 degrees)
- McAllen, TX (+4.1 degrees)
- Helena, Montana (+4.1 degrees)
The only two cities of the 246 analyzed that had not warmed since 1970 were Monterey, California, and Idaho Falls, Idaho.
Climate Central also analyzed data from 49 states (all except Hawaii) and ranked the fastest warming:
- Alaska
- Delaware
- New Mexico
- New Jersey
- Arizona
- Rhode Island
- Massachusetts
- Connecticut
- Utah
- Vermont
Alaska is particularly vulnerable to global warming, according to the report, due to its high latitude. According to NASA, the poles are warming faster than the rest of the planet. “The melting of glaciers and permafrost is contributing to sea level rise and the release of greenhouse gases” in Alaska, writes Climate Central.