Summer Time And Vacationing Isn't Easy. Blame It On Climate Change

Climate change already is making wildfires, hurricanes, heat waves and droughts more frequent and intense. The devastating effects are in the headlines regularly.

A warming climate also changes lives in subtler ways. NPR asked how more extreme weather is affecting summer plans.

For Maryland graduate student A. Carey, 24, summer means traveling to the Bahamas for Emancipation Day, which was commemorated this year on Aug, 2. The holiday celebrates the end of slavery and includes music, dancing and a parade.

"You just hear this thumping drumbeat, like a heartbeat, coming out of the distance and you hear this gradual brass swelling," says Carey, remembering parades from a lifetime of visiting the island Eleuthera to see family.

Carey says saving for and planning this trip each summer is a tradition that's changing.

"I have to be a lot more aware about when I travel," Carey says. "I have to think about trip insurance. What's my plan b, plan c of returning to the U.S. if it is hit by a hurricane?"

And Carey notices that now there's a lot more talk in the Bahamas about rising water levels and what that will mean for the future.

"The smell of the dead fish is very strong"

In Tampa, Fla., Sara Brogan says summers are getting hotter. Going to the beach to cool off is a decades-long tradition for her family.

"We've been to the beach once this summer," Brogan says.

That's because of "red tide." These algae blooms are increasing, likely because of human pollution and warming temperatures. They produce toxins that kill sea life, which is why Brogan is staying away from the beach.

"The smell of the dead fish is very strong," she says.

People with breathing problems warned to stay clear of red tide areas

Health officials say people with breathing problems like asthma should stay clear of red tide areas. Brogran, a registered nurse, 45, says her family doesn't have chronic breathing issues but it's still uncomfortable.

"For us it would be like just a tickle in the throat or all of the sudden you are having to clear your throat more or you cough a little bit," she says.

Brogan canceled plans to rent a pontoon boat for Father's Day to go fishing. She still hopes to get to the beach before hurricane season gets intense.

Further north on Cape Cod freshwater ponds also are getting more toxic algal blooms and officials have closed some areas to swimming.

On the West Coast, Valerie Christensen, 62, says a heat wave interrupted her plans to compete in summer dog shows. She lives on Bainbridge Island in Washington state. Her show dog is a Border Terrier named "Henry."

"It's not good for the animal and it's not good for me either"

"He doesn't like the heat. I don't know any terriers that like the heat. They sort of wilt when it comes to, like, 75 and above," Christensen says.

She cancelled plans to attend the Clackamas Kennel Club show in Oregon in June because it was a record 113.7 degrees. Now she's looking for summer shows in cooler locations and away from wildfire smoke.

"Obviously it's not good for the animal and it's not good for me either because you spend, pretty much, a whole weekend —sometimes as many as four days – outside," she says.

Climate-fueled wildfires also mean more smoke in special places.

Heather Duchow, 47, and her husband celebrated their 20th anniversary last month in Montana's Glacier National Park, where they also honeymooned. She's an amateur photographer and likes to capture the awe-inspiring views.

"When we got there it was very smoky and it was disappointing. You can't see the distant vistas that the park is known for," she says. "Everything that should have been green and white and blue was very orange and brown."

Duchow says for future anniversaries they may go sooner in the summer, hoping to avoid the worst of fire season.

"There are clearly much worse outcomes of wildfire," she says. "We feel for those who have lost homes or loved ones due to climate events like fire or flooding."

Still how Duchow, and everyone else, navigates a warming world is changing. And people are figuring out how to adapt. [Copyright 2021 NPR]