U.S. heat waves, by decade

1960s to 2023; 50 most populous metro areas

Two line charts show U.S. heat waves by decade from the 1960s to 2023. The average number of heat waves has increased steadily from 2.2 annually in the 1960s to 6.3 in the 2020s. The average duration of heat waves has also increased, from 3 days in the 60s to 4.3 today.