As Massachusetts nears the end of another record-breaking summer of extreme heat, policymakers are responding to a new reality: It’s not just a cold-weather state anymore. It’s a hot one, too.
Massachusetts has warmed by nearly 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit since the beginning of the 20th century. By 2050, experts predict the number of 90-degree days could double or triple compared to historic averages. New England is warming faster than much of the United States, according to a 2025 study published in the journal Climate.
Municipalities and state governments in Massachusetts are taking measures to protect people from the rise in summer temperatures.
Why We Wrote This
Traditionally, cold-weather places like Massachusetts didn’t have to worry much about having too many 90-degree days. But as temperatures keep warming, those places now must work to mitigate the effects of extreme heat.
Massachusetts appointed its first heat resilience officer – the second state in the nation with such a position after Arizona. Lawmakers proposed a bill aimed at protecting workers in extreme heat. It would require that workers have access to drinking water and cooldown breaks, and that employers have heat-illness prevention plans when temperatures reach 80 degrees. The city of Chelsea launched its newest “cool park,” which features shaded picnic tables, a splash pad, and a communal rain barrel.
“I think Massachusetts just kind of set the benchmark … and that’s fantastic,” says Jennifer Marlon, a senior research scientist at Yale School of the Environment and the executive director of the Yale Center for Geospatial Solutions. “We need more states to step up and do this.”
In the contiguous United States, July was the warmest month ever recorded (since 1895), averaging 76.9 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s 3.3 degrees higher than the 20th-century average, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Northeastern U.S. is known for having long, freezing winters, but as the region warms, it comes with hotter summers and prolonged heat waves.
“One of the first things that people ask me is, ‘Why are you researching heat when Massachusetts is cold?’” says Patricia Fabian, a professor of environmental health at Boston University.
Ms. Fabian, who has done heat research in Massachusetts for the last 10 years, notes that the heat landscape is changing. “So if you look to cities in the Southwest or in the South that have had heat always, there’s a certain construction for homes that allow for ventilation; there’s air conditioning in every single building,” she says. However, houses in the Northeast weren’t historically built to combat extreme heat.
Alongside Massachusetts and Arizona, some local governments have designated heat chiefs, including Miami-Dade County and Los Angeles.
The Commonwealth’s heat resilience officer, Katie Schlick, will lead efforts to coordinate with state agencies and “work with communities to prepare for rising temperatures, protect public health and reduce the impacts of extreme heat,” according to a statement from the governor’s office.
Although her position is in the state government, it will be funded for the next two years by The Boston Foundation, a community foundation.
“Often what philanthropy can do is de-risk something so [the] government can try it,” says Keith Mahoney, the foundation’s vice president for public affairs.
Mr. Mahoney said he heard from government officials that they were interested in having a heat resilience officer but weren’t sure they had the funds to create the position. The Boston Foundation, he says, prioritizes investments that make systemic change.
In the short term, philanthropy might “unlock the potential for a position that wasn’t possible before,” says Mary Buchanan, a community resilience planner at Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation. “I would hope that there is a plan for the long term because the problem is not going away, and it’s probably just going to increase in importance.”
Ms. Fabian says she hopes the position expands in the coming years. “I think heat resilience is a great place to start,” she says. “And then sort of expanding into thinking about other extreme weather events would also be a good direction to go.”
Ms. Schlick, who couldn’t be reached for an interview, will report to the state’s climate chief, Melissa Hoffer, and the commissioner for the Department of Public Health, Robbie Goldstein, according to a news release. She is a graduate of Yale University and has previously worked for the U.S. Climate Alliance, and was a special assistant to the White House national climate advisor under the Biden administration.
