The heat is rising in California’s inland cities, and so are the risks. In regions like the Antelope Valley, Apple Valley, and the sprawling Inland Empire—a region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California—population growth is surging as residents flee expensive coastal cities for affordable housing. These regions are projected to face more extreme heat days due to climate change, posing serious public health risks.

Urban Heat: High heat days are expected to increase significantly by 2050.

• Inland cities like Lancaster, Palmdale, Visalia, Fresno, etc., will experience 25 or more high heat days annually.
• Visalia’s high heat days (above 103°F) will increase from 17 days in the 2020s to 32 days by 2050.
• Meanwhile, San Francisco’s high heat days (above 87°F) will rise from just 4 days to 6 days by 2050.

By 2050, coastal counties are expected to lose 1.3 million residents, as affordability pushes people inland. Riverside, Alameda, and Sacramento counties are projected to see population gains of 200,000 to 250,000.

The Cost of Extreme Heat: In the last decade, extreme heat has led to more than 5,000 hospitalizations and 10,600 emergency room visits across California, highlighting the growing health risks as temperatures rise.

Local governments are falling behind. Despite a 2015 state law mandating climate mitigation in city plans, many municipalities haven’t complied. Solutions like cooling roofs, urban greening, and cooling centers exist, but most cities lack either the infrastructure or political will to act. As the inland population grows, these gaps become life-threatening.

Residents in Victorville, Apple Valley, and Hesperia are already enduring relentless summer heat, with temperatures now exceeding 100°F regularly. Once temperate desert towns are now facing heat waves of 110°F and higher. Without swift action, the growing heat and population boom could push California’s inland cities into a public health crisis.