California Could Lose 75% of Beaches: Report

Californians who think summer already feels endless may want to brace themselves. A sweeping new state climate assessment projects that by midcentury, California's "summer" conditions could last about 135 days a year—up from roughly 90—while average temperatures climb around 4 degrees Fahrenheit and wildfire smoke claims thousands more lives annually. Gov. Gavin Newsom cast the findings as a call to intensify climate action as the Trump administration rolls back environmental protections, the New York Times reports.

The report, the most expansive since the state began the assessments in 2006, forecasts a sharply thinner Sierra Nevada snowpack—down 40% by midcentury and 60% by 2100—fueling deeper droughts and increasing flood risk as more precipitation falls as rain. It warns that up to three-quarters of the state's beaches could vanish by 2100 and that sea level rise could put $78 billion in coastal property at risk. An official in the state office that produced the report said she hopes it helps communities decide where to focus mitigation efforts. "The future is not predetermined," Abby Edwards told the Times.