Every summer — even fairly wet ones like 2018 — it feels like the heat is more intense and lasts longer than it did before.

That reality is physically and emotionally draining, and many scientists believe the effects of climate change will only make that more difficult. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that suicide rates in the United States are at their peak in the early summer. Hot days, especially, cause the suicide rate to rise.

Marshall Burke, assistant professor at Stanford University, worked with colleagues to determine just how connected suicide and excessively hot temperatures are.