WASHINGTON – Record-breaking heat is scorching parts of the United States (US) this week less than a month into summer, as the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration called June “Earth’s hottest in 174 years of global recordkeeping.”
Phoenix, Arizona, broke heat records — set nearly half a century ago — Tuesday for major US cities with its 19th straight day over 43 degrees Celsius (°C).
Nighttime has offered little relief, with lows dropping to just 34 °C for the ninth straight day, reported United Press International (UPI).
“Although it is always hot in the summer in Phoenix, this heat wave is intense and unrelenting,” said Katharine Jacobs, director of the Centre for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions at the University of Arizona.
“Unfortunately, it is a harbinger of things to come given that the most reliable projected impacts of climate change are those that are directly related to the increase in global temperatures,” Jacobs added.
All of the southern US has been under a heat dome for much of the summer, with temperatures from California to Florida shattering records.
“A prolonged and extremely dangerous heatwave continues for much of the Southern tier of the Lower 48 thanks to an expansive dome of high pressure aloft, where approximately 80 million people could experience an air temperature or heat index above 105 °F (40 °C) through this weekend,” the National Weather Service warned Tuesday.
Houston is poised to break a 43-year-old daily heat record Tuesday with a temperature of 39 °C, as the high pressure system producing the heat dome shifts out of the Southwest and into Texas.
“Heatwaves are deadly, especially for the homeless, for people who work outdoors and for those who have inadequate air conditioning,” Jacobs said. “It is especially hard for older people and those with underlying health conditions to stay hydrated.”
Those areas experiencing the hottest temperatures this summer are the larger cities, while tree-covered suburbs have mostly escaped the record-breaking heat.
“Large cities often experience higher temperatures than surrounding areas because of all of the heat-absorptive surfaces, such as dark pavement and buildings. This is known as urban heat island,” the Federal Emergency Management Agency warned in a tweet. – Bernama
