Intense heat is taking a toll on Houston mosquitos, study says
Houston has had an average of 20 fewer so called 'mosquito days'—defined as days with warm, humid days in which the insects thrive in—since 1979, according to Climate Central. Anton Petrus/Getty Images
There may be a silver lining to the ongoing Texas heat wave after all: fewer mosquitos. A new study from Climate Central, a nonprofit climate science research group, shows that the Bayou City may have seen an overall decline in its mosquito population over the last 40 years due to an increase in temperatures. That means less opportunities for the pesky insects to bite people and potentially transmit disease.
Per the report, Houston has had an average of 20 fewer so called "mosquito days"—defined as warm, humid days in which the insects thrive in—since 1979. Mosquitos prefer climates that have an average humidity of 42 percent or higher and daily minimum and maximum temperatures between 50 and 95 degrees, according to Climate Central.
Assessing local mosquito weather trends for 242 locations—including Houston—Climate Central determined that in 1979, Houston had a whopping 240 mosquito days. By 2022, that number had dropped by 24 percent to only 182 days of ideal weather for mosquitoes, according to the study.
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Since 1979, Houston has had an average of 20 fewer so called 'mosquito days,' according to Climate Central. Climate Central
Researchers also analyzed the weather trends of 241 other U.S. locations since 1979 and found that over 70 percent of the areas sustained an increase in annual mosquito days due to climate warming. Regions in the south, where summer temperatures may frequently exceed the upper range for suitable mosquito conditions, experienced the greatest decrease in mosquito days since 1979, according to the study. In contrast, areas in the Ohio Valley and northeast U.S. saw the largest region-wide increase in mosquito days during that same time period.
Source: Chron
