Will Humid Summers Become The New Norm? Climate Expert Says Yes

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The heat and humidity is doubling down hard for another day, making this summer seem even more brutal than in past years. One climate expert says this hot and sticky summer weather may be here to stay.

"What is it, like 95 right now? Too hot," Astoria resident Claudia Barczy said.

Residents in the New York area flocked to public pools to cool down as parks were abandoned due to the extreme heat. Paul Ellis, a youth soccer coach in New Rochelle, sent players home early for the first time in 10 years.

"Heat, humidity and turf is a triple threat. The turf field adds maybe 15 to 20 degrees... those three things put together, just not safe," Ellis told CBS2's Vanessa Murdock.

So far this year, 17 days have reportedly registered at 90 degrees or above. That number isn't remarkable, but the fact that cooler temperatures at night are not dropping as low as they used to is a concern.

Radley Horton of Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory says there's a reason for the more humid weather.

"As the air and oceans warm, the atmosphere can hold more moisture," Horton explains. "As a result we see a huge increase in the frequency of these lethal combinations of high heat and high humidity."

Horton warns that the extremely humid weather we experience once ever decade now may soon start to be seen one to two months each year in our area.