Could global warming reverse the steady population drain in northern Maine?

NASA’s new study doesn’t quite make that leap, but it does show Maine becoming a relative haven from extreme heat that may be on its way for the eastern United States.

The study was released last week and says summers in the east, Maine included, may get hotter faster than previously believed. The study generally says the region can expect daily highs about 10 degrees Farenheit warmer by the mid-2080s. The changed forecast has to do with improving the global climate computer models so they account better for dryer conditions, it says.

A map published with the study shows Maine’s summertime highs are generally projected to go from 79 degrees in 1993 to 86 degrees in 2085. That’s roughly the same as summer in New Jersey now.

That’s quite a difference. But, the farther south you go, the more dramatic the change could be.

The average summer highs will probably be around 102 degrees in Jacksonville, 100 degrees in Memphis, 96 degrees in Atlanta, NASA says. Remember, that would be the average highs, not heat waves. In dry summers, daily high temperatures could average between 100 and 110 degrees in cities such as Chicago and Washington and approach 100 in much of the northeast.

Maine, according to the map, could become one of the few places in the eastern half of the U.S. where the average summer temperature in 2085 is not expected to exceed 90 degrees. That could make Washington County a really popular place in August. Might want to get the guest room ready.

Here are the details about the study and, in case you missed it, an Associated Press story about the hot long-term forecast.

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