What Climate Change Will Actually Look Like Where You Live

North America: Heat, Drought and the Fire That Follows

Across North America, rising temperatures are intensifying the relationship between drought, water scarcity and wildfires. In 2026, approximately 61% of the continental United States was experiencing some degree of drought. A historic snow drought in the West has raised further concerns about water supplies and fire conditions.

Extreme heat is already the deadliest weather hazard in the United States, killing more people annually than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined. California faces particularly severe changes: projections indicate warming of around 4°C by the 2050s, accompanied by substantially longer heatwaves. Wildfire smoke adds another dimension to the danger, making air quality a serious public health concern.

Canada faces an especially dramatic future. Its latest federal climate assessment projects approximately 2.7°C of warming above pre-industrial levels within the next two decades, close to twice the global average. Under current policies, warming could reach 5°C by 2100. Winters across parts of Nunavut and Nunavik could become 10°C warmer, while severe droughts on the southern Prairies could become five times more frequent. Western Canada’s glaciers could virtually disappear.