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The US will be totally unrecognizable by the end of this century

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lifeguard pool summer

It's hot out. Record-breaking hot. This April was the warmest April on record. It was the 12th month in a row to set a new record.

Calling it a trend would be an understatement. This warming is relentless.

But miserably hot summers aren't even the worst problem facing us in the coming decades.

Here are some of the craziest ways climate change will change the US as we know it:

SEE ALSO: A stunning glacier in Iceland shows exactly how much the climate has changed

DON'T MISS: New York is facing its biggest threat ever, and people are still in denial

As oceans get warmer and northern sea ice begins to melt, sea levels will rise, increasing the frequency of floods. That's because as water warms, it grows in volume. And land ice, such as that of mountain glaciers and giant ice sheets, melts.

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Sources: "IPCC Fourth Assessment Report: Climate Change 2007," NASA



Summer will be more like ... death. That's because climate change lengthens summer months and makes them hotter. By the 2050s, New York City could see as many as seven heat waves per year, with about two months' worth — or as much as twice what we currently experience — of days where the maximum temperature is at or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sources: "Shifting Cities" by Climate CentralAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences



As climate change drives up temperatures, wildfire seasons in the western US will begin to start earlier, last longer, and be more intense.

Source: National Wildlife Federation



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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