--- title: Zika Virus Transmission Possible for Several U.S. Cities description: New research show 50 cities in the U.S. could be at some risk for Zika in the summer months canonical: https://time.com/4262743/zika-mosquitoes-usa/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-03-17T15:35:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T15:59:36.419Z article:section: Health og:title: Find Out Which U.S. Cities Could Get Hit By Zika og:description: New research show 50 cities in the U.S. could be at some risk for Zika in the summer months og:url: https://time.com/4262743/zika-mosquitoes-usa/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9036f12cced115b0/69888b67a988ca80376b707b/aedesmos.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 139289970 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Find Out Which U.S. Cities Could Get Hit By Zika twitter:description: New research show 50 cities in the U.S. could be at some risk for Zika in the summer months twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9036f12cced115b0/69888b67a988ca80376b707b/aedesmos.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Find Out Which U.S. Cities Could Get Hit By Zika by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 17, 2016 3:35 PM UTC  Aedes aegypti Aedes aegyptiGetty Images by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 17, 2016 3:35 PM UTC Upcoming summer temperatures could make several U.S. cities favorable to the [Zika](http://time.com/topic/zika-virus/)\-spreading _Aedes aegypti_ mosquito, putting Americans at a higher risk for the disease, [according to a new report](http://currents.plos.org/outbreaks/article/on-the-seasonal-occurrence-and-abundance-of-the-zika-virus-vector-mosquito-aedes-aegypti-in-the-contiguous-united-states/). Researchers at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center used computer modeling to look at the risk for [Zika](http://time.com/topic/zika-virus/) in 50 U.S. cities. The _Aedes aegypti_ mosquito is not currently present in all 50 cities, but the researchers found that warm summer weather is the ideal climate for the _Aedes aegypti_ mosquito to spread. The researchers looked at weather patterns and the mosquitoes’ lifecycle in cities where the _Aedes aegypti_ are currently present. They also looked at travel patterns to the 50 cities from places where Zika transmission is occurring, as well as socioeconomic conditions. The study authors note that even if Zika does spread to places beyond the southern U.S., it’s not likely that America will see situations like those in the Caribbean and Latin America since most Americans live and work in places that are sealed and have air conditioning. That said, mosquito populations are expected to rise in the Southeast and some cities in Arizona in April, and by June almost all of the 50 cities in the study will have the potential for virus transmission. Southern and eastern cities are at a higher risk for a moderate-to-high abundance of the mosquitoes. The late summer months, July, August and September, are the most favorable for _Aedes aegypti_. The cities that have both ideal climates for the _Aedes aegypti_ and plenty of travelers from affected areas are Miami, Houston and Orlando. “Even some cities where the _Aedes aegypti_ mosquito has not been detected, such as St. Louis and Denver, have suitable midsummer weather conditions for the species if it were introduced via transport of used tires or by other human activities, according to the computer models,” reads a [released statement](https://www2.ucar.edu/atmosnews/news/19850/potential-zika-virus-risk-estimated-50-us-cities) about the work. You can check out the researchers’ estimated spread in the U.S. [here](https://www2.ucar.edu/atmosnews/news/19850/potential-zika-virus-risk-estimated-50-us-cities). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4262743/zika-mosquitoes-usa/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4262743/zika-mosquitoes-usa/"},"headline":"Find Out Which U.S. Cities Could Get Hit By Zika","datePublished":"2016-03-17T15:35:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T15:59:36.419Z","description":"New research show 50 cities in the U.S. could be at some risk","url":"https://time.com/4262743/zika-mosquitoes-usa/","keywords":["Zika","United States","Mosquitoes"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9036f12cced115b0/69888b67a988ca80376b707b/aedesmos.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alexandra Sifferlin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9036f12cced115b0/69888b67a988ca80376b707b/aedesmos.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"139289970","caption":"139289970","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/zika/","name":"Zika"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4262743/zika-mosquitoes-usa/","name":"Find Out Which U.S. Cities Could Get Hit By Zika"}}]}] ```