I think we all can have mixed feelings about this.
Houston may be getting too hot even for mosquitoes, whose bites can be both annoying and dangerous, according to a new analysis of daily temperature and humidity in 242 locations across the contiguous U.S.
The report, published by climate science research group Climate Central, calculated that from 1979 to 2022, Houston has had a drop in annual number of “mosquito days” — defined as days with daily minimum and maximum temperatures between 50 and 95 degrees and an average relative humidity of 42 percent or higher.
Due to climate warming, over 70 percent of U.S. locations analyzed sustained an increase in annual mosquito days. Most of the locations with decreases in mosquito days, like Houston, are in the South, where summer temperatures often surpass the upper range for suitable mosquito conditions.
Houston had a total of 240 mosquito days in 1979, while last year, weather in the city was hospitable to the pesky bugs only 182 days. Throughout the 43 years analyzed, the average number of Houston mosquito days annually has fallen around 5 percent.
Given a choice between climate change and mosquitoes, I will – somewhat reluctantly – pick the mosquitoes. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to find a quiet place and contemplate my feelings for a few minutes. Carry on without me.