World bakes under extreme heat, with records set to tumble

Heatwaves are upending life in large parts of the US, Europe and Asia, as warming oceans and unprecedented humidity fuel one of the hottest summers on record.

A firefighter douses flames at Panorama, 70km west of Athens. Picture: AFP

Deadly heatwaves are upending daily life in large parts of the US, Europe and Asia, as warming oceans and unprecedented humidity fuel one of Earth’s hottest summers on record.

Meteorologists say last month was the hottest June on record and 2023 could be the hottest year ever if July’s record temperatures continue, straining businesses and threatening power grids.

Several factors are contributing to the record heat this northern summer, said Brett Anderson, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather. Among them: Unusually warm oceans are raising humidity levels; several heat domes are trapping warmth around the world for longer than usual; and jet streams are causing deadly storms to move slowly.

The hot seas and a recurring warm climate pattern called El Nino are compounding the effects of climate change, which scientists say is contributing to higher global temperatures.

“We are seeing an increasing number and more extremes and this is because of global warming,” said Jose Alvaro Mendes Pimpao Alves Silva, a consulting climatologist for the World Meteorological Organisation, referring to extreme heatwaves. “These situations are not unprecedented. But as they happen, their intensity is higher.”

Climate change has exacerbated extreme heat events, which have increased sixfold since the 1980s, according to the World Meteorological Organisation. Increasing surface temperatures from climate warming make heatwaves longer, more intense, and produce the weather conditions that keep them stalled over one place.

Global ocean temperatures hit record highs for the third consecutive month after El Nino conditions strengthened in June, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

High-pressure heat domes that bring sweltering temperatures have occurred during the past few summers, but having four of them over land at the same time is still surprising to Carl Schreck, a tropical climatologist at North Carolina State University who works with NOAA.

“We’ve seen this over the last couple of summers, but it’s still remarkable when it does appear,” said Schreck.

Still, the sustained heatwaves haven’t stopped tourists from hitting the beach in Spain or visiting landmarks in Washington, D.C. Some have even basked in the heat in California’s Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth.

US

Several cities, including Phoenix, have broken records as the southern US deals with unrelenting heat. El Paso, Texas, logged a record 33rd day in a row on Tuesday with temperatures above 37C. Texas’ power grids have held up despite concerns they couldn’t handle demand surges.

In the north, parts of Michigan, New York and Vermont have also broken daily temperature records this summer.

The waters off Florida in recent weeks have been hotter than 32C, several degrees above normal, according to NOAA. The temperatures are threatening the coral reefs off the coast and fuelling heat and humidity in the southern part of the state.

A tourist tries to cool down as the temperature rises in Rome. Picture AFP

Europe

Europe is baking under a sustained heatwave that is covering much of the Mediterranean, according to the World Meteorological Organisation. The Spanish state meteorological service warned of temperatures of up to 43C and issued alerts for the interior and Balearic Islands. Parts of the Balkans are also under alert.

The Italian island of Sardinia was forecast to approach an all-time high for the continent on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST). Sicily set the highest recorded temperature in Europe at 48C in August 2021.

Alberto Urpi, the mayor of Sanluri in Sardinia, said authorities had issued a weather red alert for the area, advising people to stay inside from late morning until 6pm.

“We are ready,” said Urpi. “We’ve gotten used to these heatwaves and have had time to organise our response.”

Authorities closed the Acropolis in Athens for a large part of Friday and Saturday due to the heat. The Greek capital is forecast to stay above 36C all week, topping out at almost 43C on Sunday.

A Canadair CL-415 tackles a fire in the village of Pournari, near Athens. Picture: AFP

Asia

Another heatwave is simultaneously sweeping across parts of Asia. In China, a village in the northwestern region of Xinjiang hit a record high of 52C, according to state media.

During the heatwave, the US Climate Envoy, John Kerry, met Chinese officials including Beijing’s top foreign policy envoy, Wang Yi, and Premier Li Qiang to discuss how to accelerate decarbonisation and other climate change goals. China and the US are the world’s top greenhouse gas emitters.

Silva from the World Meteorological Organisation said there were currently high-pressure systems trapping hot air in the region. The systems will remain in place over the next several days.

“It’s moving very slowly, but we will not have this situation forever,” Silva said.

The Wall Street Journal