SAN DIEGO — Experts say this unprecedented heat wave is just a sign of what the future may hold.
Without major steps to prevent climate change, experts say extreme heat waves will become more common in San Diego. They'll be even hotter and will last for longer periods of time.
"You'll be seeing more days over 90 degrees. Instead of just one or two days in downtown San Diego you'd be seeing like 10 days over 90," said Alex Tardy, the Warming Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service San Diego
Even after the sun goes down, experts say the temperatures will stay high and humid. It's something we're seeing right now.
"We have these hot muggy nights that make it more difficult for people who either don't have air conditioning or can't afford to run it which makes it much harder to live through a heat wave like that," said Alexander Gershunov, a research meteorologist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD.
Gershunov described the danger that comes with extreme heat waves.
"They actually kill more people than any other extreme weather event but kind of do it silently," he said.
Climate change could have huge impacts across the state.
Up to $10 billion of property in California could be underwater by 2050 and two-thirds of beaches in Southern California could be completely eroded by 2100, according to a report from the state's Legislative Analyst's Office.
"It's often said that extreme weather is exacerbated by global warming well heat waves are a prime example of that," Gershunov said.
This includes prolonged droughts and more intense wildfires. Experts are urging everyone to do their part to help slow climate change.
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