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Days that are both extremely hot and polluted come with higher risks of respiratory ailments and other health risks.
July 15, 2026, 2:05 p.m. ET
Soaring temperatures are expected to collide with wildfire smoke across parts of the United States this week, a combination that can pose health risks.
As climate change drives up global temperatures past record levels, the frequency of days when it is both hot and polluted has also been increasing.
Several factors are converging to amplify health risks during sweltering days.
Extreme heat can trap polluted air in place, so it does not dissipate. Climate change is making wildfires more frequent and intense, pumping smoke into the atmosphere and contributing to the reversal of a decades-long trend of air quality improvement in some parts of the United States.
In addition, the Trump administration has issued sweeping rollbacks of environmental regulations. It has moved to weaken limits on emissions from power plants and vehicles, which could increase carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter and other pollutants. It has also issued orders compelling several aging coal plants to stay open past planned retirement dates, extending pollution from those plants. Last year, coal emissions in the U.S. increased after years of decline.
Even as heat can make air pollution worse, the combination of the two environmental hazards can have outsize effects on public health, experts say.
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