Heat Alerts: Over 100 Million Americans and Europe Reaches Record-High Temperatures.
As summer kicks off in the Northern Hemisphere, a scorching heat wave is already gripping parts of Europe, China, and the United States, with record-breaking temperatures serving as a stark reminder of the perils of a warming climate.
The National Weather Service has issued extreme heat advisories for more than 100 million Americans, particularly in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Texas.
Simultaneously, several European nations, including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Poland, are sweltering under the scorching sun.
The European Space Agency warns that the mercury may reach a blistering 48 degrees Celsius (118.4 degrees Fahrenheit) on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, potentially setting a new record for the highest temperatures ever recorded in Europe.
North Africa is also facing intense heat, with the Moroccan meteorological service issuing an extreme heat red alert for southern parts of the country.
In China, regions like Beijing are experiencing sweltering temperatures, leading a major Chinese power company to report a record-breaking single-day power generation.
Last month was already marked as the hottest June on record, as confirmed by NASA and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Secretary-General Petteri Taalas of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) emphasizes that extreme weather events resulting from climate change are unfortunately becoming the new normal.
The WMO categorizes excessive heat as one of the deadliest meteorological phenomena. A recent study estimates that over 61,000 deaths were attributed to heat during Europe’s record-breaking summer last year.
This year’s higher temperatures may be influenced by the climate pattern known as El Nino. These events occur every two to seven years and are characterized by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific. El Nino typically lasts around nine to 12 months.
North America has already witnessed a series of extreme weather events this summer, including widespread air pollution caused by wildfires raging out of control in Canada. The US northeast, particularly Vermont, has also been devastated by torrential rains and subsequent floods.
Climate scientists attribute these events to global warming, which can lead to heavier and more frequent rainfall. Meanwhile, residents of the southern United States have been enduring persistently high temperatures for weeks.
Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, warns that Death Valley’s temperature could potentially match or surpass the record for the hottest air temperature ever reliably measured on Earth. The WMO’s official record stands at 56.7 degrees Celsius (134 degrees Fahrenheit) recorded in Death Valley in 1913, although Swain argues for the figure of 54.4 degrees Celsius (130 degrees Fahrenheit) from 2020 and 2021.
Ocean temperatures have also risen significantly. Off the southern coast of Florida, water temperatures have exceeded 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In the Mediterranean, surface temperatures are expected to be “exceptionally high” in the coming days and weeks, surpassing 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas, several degrees above average.
Warming ocean temperatures pose severe consequences for marine life in terms of survival and migration and can negatively impact the fishing industry. Additionally, Antarctic sea ice hit its lowest recorded level for the month of June.
With the world experiencing an average warming of nearly 1.2 degrees Celsius (1.9 degrees Fahrenheit) since the mid-1800s, heat waves, severe droughts, and more intense storms are becoming increasingly common due to rising sea levels.
Secretary-General Petteri Taalas of the WMO emphasizes that the current heat wave underscores the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as quickly and deeply as possible.
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