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The A\/C hums in the background on a hot August morning as\u00a0Danovan Calhoun Bettis<\/u><\/a> does laundry and texts his bandmates. The leader of a brass band,\u00a0Bettis and 3rd Degree<\/u><\/a>, is coordinating schedules and upcoming gigs, which always slow down in the summer.<\/p>\n Bettis is a textbook example of a New Orleans musician. He grew up in the city\u2019s Seventh Ward, started playing the drums in church when he was 10, became head drum major of the famous\u00a0\u201cMarching 100\u201d band at St. Augustine High School<\/u><\/a>\u00a0and started his first of many brass bands soon after graduating.<\/p>\n He remembers being hot while marching in parades at \u201cSt. Aug,\u201d sweating beneath the heavy uniform and helmet, and carrying a drum for miles. His passion for playing music hasn\u2019t changed, but he says the heat is different now.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s bad, man. It\u2019s way worse,\u201d Bettis said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had hot summers, especially growing up here, you expect it to get hot. But now it feels like the sun is right above us.\u201d<\/p>\n Bettis is right. Climate scientists tracking the city\u2019s weather patterns say average annual temperatures have risen about 3 to 4 degrees over the past century, with most of the steep increases happening in the last few decades.<\/p>\n The summers in New Orleans have gotten more than 4 degrees hotter than they were in 1970, according to research from\u00a0Climate Central<\/u><\/a>, an independent climate research organization.<\/p>\n \u201cIn most places, that\u2019s where you really see the big jump \u2014 in the last 20 to 30 years,\u201d said\u00a0Jen Brady<\/u><\/a>, a senior data analyst at Climate Central.<\/p>\n Can\u2019t see the interactive chart below?\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Click here<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n