Climate change is influencing migration trends in the U.S., as people abandon coastal areas vulnerable to flooding and instead move to the Sun Belt, which faces extreme heat. Data shows that this region is experiencing significant population growth, as seen in Florida's Villages metro area. Although many heed warnings about flood risks, the reality is that extreme heat causes more deaths annually than floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes combined. Recent NASA projections indicate that the fastest-warming counties will continue to grow at a rate exceeding the national average, raising concerns about heat-related mortality.
Over the last decade, Americans have overwhelmingly moved south and southwest to the Sun Belt, driven by low cost of living and warm year-round weather.
In an average year extreme heat kills more Americans than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined; 874 direct deaths from excessive heat occurred from 2019 to 2023.
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