'It's frightening': Raleigh could see 40+ days of 100 degree feels-like temps by 2050
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The City of Raleigh is embarking upon an ambitious community plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.
To accomplish this goal, several initiatives are now underway.
Leaders will be installing more EV charging stations as part of its Raleigh Climate Plan to encourage residents to use electricity in their cars. There are already dozens of these stations around the City of Oaks.
Charlie Bratton bought his hybrid van six years ago and primarily uses electricity to get around. He said thankfully, there are a lot of options in Raleigh.
"It's not like most cities in North Carolina. Durham has a few, Asheville has a few, but Raleigh -- they're all over," said Bratton.
Raleigh is taking steps to make the community and environment more sustainable.
It's in the process of transitioning the city's entire fleet of more than 2,000 vehicles to from gas to electric.
Also, staff will soon start converting waste water into compressed natural gas, which will then be turned into fuel for the bus line that gets people around Raleigh.
Additionally, there's a new solar program available to homeowners.
"It's group purchasing so the more folks get solar at the same time, the lower the cost will be for everyone and we've really well vetted it, so it's very high quality," said Raleigh Sustainability Manager Megan Anderson.
It is getting warmer each year.
ABC's data team found Raleigh neighborhoods see between 20 and 22 days with feels-like temperatures at 100 degrees or hotter. By 2050, the number is could double.
The ABC data team predicts some neighborhoods, like Southeast Raleigh, could soon see as many as 40 dangerously hot days.
"That's frightening," said Bratton.
There is a way to check the climate risk in your particular neighborhood on ABC11's Weathering Tomorrow dashboard.
The dashboard includes more climate topics than just heat. For instance, it shows 11 percent of Cumberland County properties are at major risk for flooding in the next 30 years.
