Washington Post Says Lehigh Valley Suffers Little Local Risk from Climate Change

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

The Lehigh Valley faces little risk from climate change, according to the Washington Post.

The news outlet, citing data from climate-modeling group AlphaGeo, looked at risks in counties across the U.S. Not surprisingly, areas near the coasts showed high risk.

Lehigh and Northampton counties fared better. The biggest risk in both counties is from inland flooding, again, not a surprise. The region has waterways with a history of flooding, but even that risk is only “medium.”

Northampton County’s overall rating is “very low” for climate change risk, while Lehigh County’s is “low.”

The risk of coastal flooding is low, of course, as we have the entire state of New Jersey between us and the Atlantic Ocean. Risks from hurricanes, heat, drought and wildfire were all deemed low or very low.

So maybe property values will keep going up, as people flee the beaches for the Lehigh Valley? Lots of locals head to Cape May County, New Jersey, in the summer, which has a high overall score.

Time will tell.