High temps: Worcester may be baking in brutal summer heat this year

Henry Schwan, Telegram & Gazette
Updated ·2 min read

WORCESTER – Summer doesn't start until June 21, but it’s not too early for Worcester residents to think about how to beat the heat as climate change presents a consistent threat.

Those who prepare may save themselves from oppressive conditions, especially since temperatures are expected to be hotter than normal this summer, a 50% to 60% likelihood in Massachusetts, according to the National Weather Service.

What does this percentage mean for Worcester?

For perspective, the average high monthly temperature in Worcester in June, July and August stands at 74, 80 and 78, respectively. Those figures for New England’s second-largest city are calculated by the National Weather Service using the years 1991 to 2020.

Meanwhile, it’s impossible to know if the percentage means Worcester will shatter daily heat records in the city that stand at 98 degrees in June (recorded in 1952), 102 in July (recorded in 1911) and 99 in August (recorded in 1944).

Mike Montanari puts on sunscreen before a WooSox game in 90-degree weather on July 24, 2022.
Mike Montanari puts on sunscreen before a WooSox game in 90-degree weather on July 24, 2022.

If those records are smashed or temperatures hover near them, Worcester residents will need places to cool off. The city’s emergency cooling center at the Worcester Senior Center on Providence Street has been an option for those without fans or air conditioning at home.

If numbers are a predictor, the cooling center could see a significant number of arrivals, especially from certain neighborhoods where many families don't have air conditioning, compared to other sections of the city.

More: Worcester to get first 'green' street. Here's what it means

Not everyone can use AC to cool off

County tax assessor data from 2021 showed a wide disparity in air conditioning numbers. At the high end of the spectrum, the neighborhoods of Forest Grove, Grafton Hill and West Tatnuck each had more than 800 homes with air conditioning.

At the low end are several neighborhoods, each of which had fewer than 100 homes with central air:

  • Beacon Brightly (88 homes)

  • University Park (95 homes)

  • College Hill (76 homes)

  • Biotech Park (10)

  • Arts District (24)

One neighborhood, Great Brook Valley area, had only seven homes with air conditioning.

National summer forecast from NOAA shows above average likely temperatures in the Northeast and New England.
National summer forecast from NOAA shows above average likely temperatures in the Northeast and New England.

The tax assessor data didn't include homes with window air conditioning units.

Massachusetts — and Worcester — isn’t alone when it comes to the National Weather Service estimation of a 50% to 60% probability of higher temperatures this summer. One of the organization's maps of the percentage shows a band that runs the entire East Coast, swings west through the Gulf states and into Arizona.

The Telegram & Gazette is investigating the effects of a rapidly heating planet on people who live in our city. Follow along with "City on Fire" as we report the struggle with summer temperatures, even in New England. This is part of the USA TODAY project Perilous Course. Contact reporter Henry Schwan to be included in a story if you have been affected by heat: expense of air conditioning or lack of it, health risks, less access to green space, concern about pets and animals in the summer conditions, worry about an older loved one, etc.

Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @henrytelegram

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: summer forecast hot for worcester massachusetts with climate change