The World Bakes Under Extreme Heat
Deadly heat waves are upending daily life in large parts of the U.S., 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 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 like the ones in Vermont this month to move slowly.
The hot seas and a recurring warm climate pattern called El Niño 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 Organization, referring to extreme heat waves.
“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 Organization.
Increasing surface temperatures from climate warming make heat waves 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 Niño conditions strengthened in June, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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