Growing up, May in New Orleans meant magnolias filling the air, frogs peeping along the bayou and teeth stained from tiger’s blood sno-balls. More importantly, May signaled the end of Jazz Fest and the start of summer. But summer in New Orleans is changing. Really, the climate is changing. With it, the city must change its traditions to protect its people.
Festgoers this year experienced packed crowds and suffocating heat the first weekend, with some relief after rain showers over the second weekend of concerts. While this heat is nothing new, we’re already facing a warmer spring than usual, and we should expect summer to be even worse.
It’s easy to dismiss this as typical New Orleans weather. I can recall many sweat-soaked Jazz Fests from years past. But the data tells a different story: The heat is getting worse and is reflective of overall warming and precipitation trends…