Our Planet Is on Fire: All-Time Heat Records Set Worldwide this Week
From the normally mild summer climes of Ireland, Scotland and Canada to the scorching Middle East, numerous locations in the Northern Hemisphere have witnessed their hottest weather ever recorded over the past week.
Read the entire article at Science Alert.
Large areas of heat pressure or heat domes scattered around the hemisphere led to the sweltering temperatures. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports the heat is to blame for at least 33 deaths in southern Quebec, mostly in and near Montreal, which endured record high temperatures.
In Northern Siberia, along the coast of the Arctic Ocean, model analyses showed temperatures soaring 40 degrees Fahrenheit (22 Celsius) above normal on July 5, to over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius).
No single record, in isolation, can be attributed to global warming. But collectively, these heat records are consistent with the kind of extremes we expect to see increase in a warming world. Let’s take a tour around the world of the recent hot-weather milestones.
North America
A massive and intense heat dome has consumed the eastern two-thirds of the United States and southeast Canada since late last week. It’s not only been hot but also exceptionally humid. Here are some of the notable all-time records set:
- Denver tied its all-time high-temperature record of 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 Celsius) on June 28.
- Mount Washington, N.H., tied its all-time warmest low temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 Celsius) on July 2.
- Burlington, Vt., set its all-time warmest low temperature ever recorded of 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.6 Celsius) on July 2.
- Montreal recorded its highest temperature in recorded history, dating back 147 years, of 97.9 degrees Fahrenheit (36.6 Celsius) on July 2. The city also posted its most extreme midnight combination of heat and humidity.
- Ottawa posted its most extreme combination of heat and humidity on July 1.
Europe
Excessive heat torched the British Isles late last week. The stifling heat caused roads and roofs to buckle, the Weather Channel reported, and resulted in multiple all-time record highs:
- Scotland provisionally set its hottest temperature on record. The U.K. Met Office reported Motherwell, about 12 miles southeast of Glasgow, hit 91.8 degrees Fahrenheit (33.2 Celsius) on June 28, passing the previous record of (32.9 Celsius) set in August 2003 at Greycrook. Additionally, Glasgow had its hottest day on record, hitting 89.4 degrees Fahrenheit (31.9 Celsius).
- In Ireland, on June 28, Shannon hit 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius), its record.
- In Northern Ireland,
- Belfast hit 85.1 degrees Fahrenheit (29.5 Celsius) on June 28, its record.
- Castlederg hit 86.2 degrees Fahrenheit (30.1 Celsius) on June 29, its record
Eurasia
A large dome of high pressure, or heat dome, has persistently sat on top of Eurasia over the past week, resulting in some extraordinarily hot weather:
- Tbilisi, Georgia: On July 4, the capital city soared to 104.9 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 Celsius), its all-time record.
- Yerevan, Armenia: On July 2, the capital city soared to 107.6 degrees Fahrenheit (42 Celsius), a record high for July and tying its record for any month.
- Several locations in southern Russia topped or matched their warmest June temperatures on record on the 28th.
Middle East
Quriyat, Oman, posted the world’s hottest low temperature ever recorded on June 28: 109 degrees Fahrenheit (42.6 Celsius). These various records add to a growing list of heat milestones set over the past 15 months that are part and parcel of a planet that is trending hotter as greenhouse gas concentrations increase because of human activity:
- In April, Pakistan posted the hottest temperature ever observed on Earth during the month of 122.4 degrees Fahrenheit (50.2 Celsius).
