ORLANDO, Fla. – The last time the Summer Games were held in Japan was back in 1964. The graphic below traces the warming and increase in the number of days of 95 degrees or hotter since 1964. As of last year, Tokyo is up to 12 of those days.
Recommended Videos
Look at what the warming has done to the average temperature in July and August in the same time period. The average temperature has shot up almost three degrees. In 2018, more than 22,000 people, about the seating capacity of Madison Square Garden, in Japan had to be hospitalized due to a heatwave.
[TRENDING: Vaccinated attorney general tests positive for COVID | Back to school: Submit your questions | Tropics: Area trying to develop over Southeast]
That heatwave, and all this warming, is part of our changing climate or as you will hear and read me refer to it as “the Global Weirdness.” I did not coin that phrase, but I do like it. Forecasting Change and what we all experience will not always be just getting hotter. But in the case of summer in Tokyo, the heat is on.
The athletes most at-risk for problems with the heat will be the ones that do not take breaks or play in the middle of the day. Events like the triathlon, the marathon and tennis.
Compared to Florida summer, this might not seem like much but for the athletes in the games, the temperature is going to be a huge factor in performance. Keep the climate in mind as you watch the games.