extreme heat – Olduvai.ca

aswan egypt satellite image on june 8 2024 sentinel-2

Aswan in Egypt recorded 50.9 °C (123.6 °F) on June 7, 2024, setting the highest reliable temperature ever recorded in Egypt and the hottest June day in African history. On the same day, Cyprus experienced its hottest June day ever with temperatures hitting 44 °C (111 °F), breaking its record for the second time this month.

On June 7, 2024, Aswan in Egypt reached a staggering 50.9 °C (123.6 °F), setting the highest reliable temperature ever recorded in Egypt and marking the hottest June day in African history. Previously, Egypt recorded a temperature of 51 °C (123.8 °F) on July 4, 1918, also in Aswan, but it was taken without a Standard Stevenson Screen, which raises questions about its accuracy.

Additionally, Alula in Saudi Arabia set a new monthly record at 47 °C (116.6 °F) on June 7.

The same day saw Cyprus set its new national record for the hottest June day ever, with temperatures soaring to 44 °C (111 °F) — 10 °C (18 °F) above the usual peak June temperatures. This marked the second time in the same month that Cyprus broke its highest June temperature record, following a previous high of 43.7 °C (110.7 °F) set on June 5.

On June 11, Rhourd Nouss in Algeria experienced historic temperatures as high as 48.8 °C (119.8 °F) with a minimum of 35.9 °C (96.6 °F). The same day, El Borma in Tunisia registered 48 °C (118.4 °F), and Tripoli in Libya recorded 46.8 °C (116.2 °F), according to climatologist and weather historian Maximiliano Herrera.

Other notable temperatures in the region included Rhourd Nouss, which on June 10 recorded a minimum of 34.2 °C (93.6 °F) and a maximum of 47.6 °C (117.7 °F), while El Borma reached 46.1 °C (115 °F) and Essbea near Tripoli hit 46.2 °C (115.2 °F). In Saudi Arabia, Gassim set new June records with a minimum of 34 °C (93.2 °F) and a maximum of 47 °C (116.6 °F), while Najran reached 43 °C (109.4 °F) on June 10.

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Oceans face ‘triple threat’ of extreme heat, oxygen loss and acidification

June 9, 2024

Oceans face ‘triple threat’ of extreme heat, oxygen loss and acidification

Third of world’s ocean surface particularly vulnerable to threats driven by burning fossil fuel and deforestation, new research finds

The world’s oceans are facing a “triple threat” of extreme heating, a loss of oxygen and acidification, with extreme conditions becoming far more intense in recent decades and placing enormous stress upon the planet’s panoply of marine life, new research has found.

About a fifth of the world’s ocean surface is particularly vulnerable to the three threats hitting at once, spurred by human activity such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, the study found. In the top 300 meters of affected ocean, these compound events now last three times longer and are six times more intense than they were in the early 1960s, the research states.

Dr Alex Hearn and his colleagues in a boat in fading light tagging a shark in the Galápagos marine reserve.

The study’s lead author warned that the world’s oceans were already being pushed into an extreme new state because of the climate crisis. “The impacts of this have already been seen and felt,” said Joel Wong, a researcher at ETH Zurich, who cited the well-known example of the heat “blob” that has caused the die-off of marine life in the Pacific Ocean. “Intense extreme events like these are likely to happen again in the future and will disrupt marine ecosystems and fisheries around the world,” he added.

The research, published in AGU Advances, analyzed occurrences of extreme heat, deoxygenation and acidification and found that such extreme events can last for as long as 30 days, with the tropics and the north Pacific particularly affected by the compounding threats.

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‘Unliveable’: Delhi’s residents struggle to cope in record-breaking heat

June 9, 2024

‘Unliveable’: Delhi’s residents struggle to cope in record-breaking heat

Temperatures of more than 45C have left population of 29 million exhausted – but the poorest suffer most

As the water tanker drove into a crowded Delhi neighbourhood, a ruckus erupted. Dozens of residents ran frantically behind it, brandishing buckets, bottles and hoses, and jumped on top of it to get even a drip of what was stored inside. Temperatures that day had soared to 49C (120F), the hottest day on record – and in many places across India’s vast capital, home to more than 29 million people, water had run out.

Every morning, Tripti, a social health worker who lives in the impoverished enclave of Vivekanand Camp, is among those who has to stand under the blazing sun with buckets and pots, waiting desperately for the water tanker to arrive.

“People have to wait for two to three hours in the queue for just for the couple of buckets of water,” she said. “The increasing temperature has made it worse. As the heat is increasing, we need more water but the supply is in fact decreasing. We are suffering badly and heat is making it impossible to live.”

Mohammad Adil Khan inspects ACs at his rental shop in Delhi.

Delhi is no stranger to heat. Its summers always bring stiflingly hot temperatures and the rich confine themselves to their air-conditioned homes, while poor households gather beneath fans and cover themselves with wet rags.

The consensus among experts and residents is that the summer temperatures are now regularly rising far above the norm as India bears the brunt of the climate crisis. A heatwave has enveloped much of north India in May – this week temperatures consecutively rose above 45C…

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Only the Hardiest Trees Can Survive Today’s Urban Inferno

May 29, 2024

Only the Hardiest Trees Can Survive Today’s Urban Inferno

In a rapidly warming world, cities need more tree cover to stay cool—but only certain species can handle soaring temperatures, and often they aren’t native species.

Image may contain Brick City Road Street Urban Architecture Building Wall Plant Tree Path and Sidewalk

Last fall, I invited a stranger into my yard.

Manzanita, with its peeling red bark and delicate pitcher-shaped blossoms, thrives on the dry, rocky ridges of Northern California. The small evergreen tree or shrub is famously drought-tolerant, with some varieties capable of enduring more than 200 days between waterings. And yet here I was, gently lowering an 18-inch variety named for botanist Howard McMinn into the damp soil of Tacoma, a city in Washington known for its towering Douglas firs, big-leaf maples, and an average of 152 rainy days per year.

It’s not that I’m a thoughtless gardener. Some studies suggest that the Seattle area’s climate will more closely resemble Northern California’s by 2050, so I’m planting that region’s trees, too.

Climate change is scrambling the seasons, wreaking havoc on trees. Some temperate and high-altitude regions will grow more humid, which can lead to lethal rot. In other temperate zones, drier springs and hotter summers are disrupting annual cycles of growth, damaging root systems, and rendering any survivors more vulnerable to pests.

Image may contain Land Nature Outdoors Plant Tree Vegetation Woodland and Aerial View

Image may contain Ground Plant Vegetation Wood Land Nature Outdoors Tree and Woodland

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Mexico is about to experience its ‘highest temperatures ever recorded’ as death toll climbs

May 27, 2024

Mexico is about to experience its ‘highest temperatures ever recorded’ as death toll climbs

The extreme heat smothering much of Mexico has killed dozens of people across multiple states

A red sun rises against a red sky — The sun rises amid high temperatures in Mexico City on Thursday. Extreme heat in Mexico, Central America and parts of the U.S. South has left millions of people in sweltering temperatures, strained energy grids and resulted in iconic howler monkeys in Mexico dropping dead from trees. (Marco Ugarte/The Associated Press)

The extreme heat smothering much of Mexico has already killed dozens of people, but the hottest temperatures are yet to come, officials say.

“In the next 10 to 15 days, the country will experience the highest temperatures ever recorded,” researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) said in a statement earlier this week. They called the heat wave “unprecedented.”

According to the Weather Channel, by early next week, temperatures in Veracruz are expected to soar to 37 C, Tabasco will be 40 C and Mexicali will reach temperatures of 40.5 C.

Temperatures in the capital, Mexico City, could reach a record 35 C in the next two weeks, said Jorge Zavala, director of UNAM’s Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate Change.

Most of the metropolitan area’s 21 million residents — accustomed to more temperate weather — lack air conditioning. Earlier this month, the capital was one of at least 10 cities in Mexico that registered their hottest day on record.

A boy walks alongside the ocean — A boy dives into the sea on a hot spring day in Veracruz, Mexico, on Tuesday, amid a nationwide drought and heat waves that have sent temperatures soaring across much of the country. (Yahir Ceballos/Reuters)

Mexico has been reeling from a high-pressure weather phenomenon known as a “heat dome,” which has trapped hot air over much of the country, creating record-breaking temperatures that have surpassed 45 C in some places.

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Mass fish die-off in Vietnam as heatwave roasts Southeast Asia

May 5, 2024

Mass fish die-off in Vietnam as heatwave roasts Southeast Asia

DONG NAI, Vietnam: Hundreds of thousands of fish have died in a reservoir in southern Vietnam’s Dong Nai province, with locals and media reports suggesting a brutal heatwave and the lake’s management are to blame.

Like much of Southeast Asia – where schools have recently been forced to close early and electricity usage has surged – southern and central Vietnam have been scorched by devastating heat.

“All the fish in the Song May reservoir died for lack of water,” a local resident in Trang Bom district, who identified himself only as Nghia, told AFP.

“Our life has been turned upside down over the past 10 days because of the smell.”

Pictures show residents wading and boating through the 300ha Song May reservoir, with the water barely visible under a blanket of dead marine life.

According to media reports, the area has seen no rain for weeks and the water in the reservoir is too low for the creatures to survive.

Reservoir management had previously discharged water to try to save crops downstream, Nghia said.

“They then tried to renovate the reservoir, bringing in a pump to take the mud out so that the fish would have more space and water,” he said.

However, the efforts did not work and, shortly afterwards, many of the fish died, with local media reports suggesting as many as two hundred tonnes’ worth of fish may have perished.

Dead fish and the dried-up reservoir bed caused by renovation works and the ongoing hot weather conditions in southern Vietnam’s Dong Nai province on Apr 30, 2024. (Photo: AFP/STR)

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Major cities in Mexico running out of water as extreme heat continues

April 30, 2024

Major cities in Mexico running out of water as extreme heat continues

The Impossible Heat Wave Era is Upon Us

April 29, 2024

At the end of March and into the early days of April, the Sahel region of Africa experienced an unprecedented heat wave. Extreme temperatures descended upon Guinea, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad. One city in Mali recorded a temperature of 48.5 degrees Celsius (over 119 degrees Fahrenheit). The heat wave was impossible.

Or, it would have been impossible without the 1.2 degrees Celsius that humans have already baked into the global climate system. That’s the conclusion from scientists with World Weather Attribution, a group that makes rapid assessments of climate change’s influence on extreme weather events. They use various modeling and observational techniques to establish a “fingerprint” of warming on a given event; in this case, it simply wouldn’t have happened in a normal world.

Death tolls from heat waves often don’t become clear until months later, but there are early indications of its severity. One hospital in Mali’s capital Bamako recorded 102 deaths just between April 1st and April 4th. That same hospital recorded 130 deaths over all of April 2023. Many areas affected by the heat had power cuts at the same time, exacerbating the problem.

The otherwise-impossibility of these events is going to more or less become the norm. Most of World Weather Attribution’s results suggest increased odds, incrementally juiced temperatures, higher likelihood of that much rain, and so on. In virtually every event now (they do occasionally find that climate change had little influence), warming’s effect is clear and dramatic — but there is something viscerally different about events that would not have just been rare but literally could not have happened without the blanket of greenhouse gases humans have tucked around the planet.

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‘So hot you can’t breathe’: Extreme heat hits the Philippines

April 25, 2024

‘So hot you can’t breathe’: Extreme heat hits the Philippines

The heat index was expected to reach the 'danger' level of 42 degrees Celsius or higher in at least 30 cities and municipalities of the Philippines — The heat index was expected to reach the ‘danger’ level of 42 degrees Celsius or higher in at least 30 cities and municipalities of the Philippines.

Extreme heat scorched the Philippines on Wednesday, forcing thousands of schools to suspend in-person classes and prompting warnings for people to limit the amount of time spent outdoors.

The months of March, April and May are typically the hottest and driest in the archipelago nation, but conditions this year have been exacerbated by the El Niño weather phenomenon.

“It’s so hot you can’t breathe,” said Erlin Tumaron, 60, who works at a seaside resort in Cavite province, south of Manila, where the heat index reached 47 degrees Celsius (117 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday.

“It’s surprising our pools are still empty. You would expect people to come and take a swim, but it seems they’re reluctant to leave their homes because of the heat.”

The heat index was expected to reach the “danger” level of 42C or higher in at least 30 cities and municipalities on Wednesday, the state weather forecaster said.

The heat index measures what a temperature feels like, taking into account humidity.

The Department of Education, which oversees more than 47,600 schools, said nearly 6,700 schools suspended in-person classes on Wednesday.

There was a 50 percent chance of the heat intensifying in the coming days, said Ana Solis, chief climatologist at the state weather forecaster.

“We need to limit the time we spend outdoors, drink plenty of water, bring umbrellas and hats when going outdoors,” Solis told AFP.

Solis said El Niño was the reason for the “extreme heat” affecting swaths of the country.

Around half the country’s provinces are officially in drought.

‘It’s really hot here’

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Extreme heat could put 40% of land vertebrates in peril by end of century

January 24, 2023

Extreme heat could put 40% of land vertebrates in peril by end of century

Study shows ‘disastrous consequences for wildlife’ if human-caused emissions push global temperatures up 4.4C

A female desert bighorn sheep in the Joshua Tree National Park, California. Such areas would be among the worse impacted if global emissions are not cut. Photograph: Michael S Nolan/Alamy

More than 40% of land vertebrates will be threatened by extreme heat by the end of the century under a high emissions scenario, with freak temperatures once regarded as rare likely to become the norm, new research warns.

Reptiles, birds, amphibians and mammals are being exposed to extreme heat events of increasing frequency, duration and intensity, as a result of human-driven global heating. This poses a substantial threat to the planet’s biodiversity, a new study warns.

Under a high emissions scenario of 4.4C warming, 41% of land vertebrates will experience extreme thermal events by 2099, according to the paper, published in Nature.

In worse affected regions, such as the Mojave desert in the US, Gran Chaco in South America, the Sahel and Sahara in Africa and parts of Iran and Afghanistan, 100% of species would be exposed to extreme heat. It is not possible to say if these areas would be uninhabitable, but it is likely that more species would become extinct.

A desert tortoise in the Mojave desert, southern California, US — A desert tortoise in the Mojave desert in California, US, an area that would be one of the worse hit by extreme heat. Photograph: Scott Trageser/Alamy

Researchers mapped the effects of extreme heat on more than 33,000 land vertebrates by looking at maximum temperature data between 1950 and 2099. They considered five predictions of global climatic models based on different levels of greenhouse gas emission, as well as the distribution of terrestrial vertebrates, to work out how exposed animal populations would be.

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Heat Dome Bakes California As “A Lot Of Records Could Be Tied Or Broken”

August 30, 2022

Heat Dome Bakes California As “A Lot Of Records Could Be Tied Or Broken”

A severe heatwave across California and the Pacific Northwest will test power grids this week and early next week.

Temperatures are forecasted to soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit east of San Diego and Los Angeles, with areas near Palm Springs and Palm Desert exceeding 113 starting Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). By Thursday, Sacramento could reach 105.

The heat dome will spread into Washington, Oregon, and even Montana, Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster at the US Weather prediction center, said, quoted by Bloomberg. He outlined:

“A lot of records are forecast to either be tied or broken,” Hurley said.

The blast of hot air will peak average California temperatures of around 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit on Sept. 5 and revert to a 30-year trend line of the low 70s by mid-month.

Average high temperatures in California could be near the triple-digit territory.

Californian residents will lower their thermostats to seek relief with air conditioners, boosting electricity demand.

Bloomberg noted demand on the state grid could reach 44.8 gigawatts on Sept. 4 and then stay elevated until the heat dissipates. Peak loads are expected early next week.

On a seasonal basis, California power prices are above a 10-year trend line due to the burst of hot weather.

California’s grid operator has postponed power-plant maintenance from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6 to ensure adequate power supplies.

“Nothing Left In Pipes”: French Towns Rely on Water Truck Deliveries For Survival

August 12, 2022

“Nothing Left In Pipes”: French Towns Rely on Water Truck Deliveries For Survival

Severe drought conditions affect about 60% of the EU, and in France, dozens of municipalities have run out of water and relied on a fleet of trucks hauling fresh water for survival.

At least 100 towns and villages have run out of fresh water. The French government has stepped in to support these drought-stricken areas.

French environment minister Christophe Bechu said in dozens of municipalities, “there is nothing left in the pipes,” referring to freshwater systems that have run completely dry. He said the ‘historic’ crisis has resulted in the deployment of a fleet of trucks delivering water to areas in need.

Besides France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands are all facing water shortages and falling water levels on inland waterways (the situation on the River Rhine is one to follow). Drought conditions across 60% of the EU could have severe economic consequences, affecting energy production, agriculture, and river transportation.

Record heat across Europe has fueled “increased fire danger due to the lack of rain and the resulting dry vegetation, combined with high temperatures,” the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service noted.

In southwest France, a massive wildfire has scorched 14,000 hectares in just a few weeks, forcing the evacuation of thousands of people.

We’ve pointed out that French utility Electricite de France SA had to “reduce or halt nuclear output” because record-breaking heat on the Rhone and Garonne rivers made the water too hot to circulate through condensers and discharge back into waterways.

Meanwhile, French power prices are at a new record of over 600 euros per megawatt hour amid grid strains thanks to the lack of nuclear power generation amid heightened demand during heatwave.

The bad news is the persistent heat wave is forecasted to continue in parts of western and central Europe through the second half of August.

UK shatters record for its hottest day ever; London fire service declares ‘major incident’

July 20, 2022

UK shatters record for its hottest day ever; London fire service declares ‘major incident’

Britain recorded its hottest-ever day Tuesday, with temperatures hitting a high of 40.3 degrees Celsius (104.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in the east of England, according to provisional data from the Met Office.
London’s fire brigade declared a major incident after a “huge surge” in fires across the capital Tuesday.
Millions of Brits endured the country’s hottest-ever night Monday, with temperatures remaining above 25C in places.

People turn out to watch the sunrise at Cullercoats Bay, North Tyneside. Britons are set to melt on the hottest UK day on record as temperatures are predicted to hit 40C. Picture date: Tuesday July 19, 2022.

Owen Humphreys | Pa Images | Getty Images

LONDON — Britain recorded its hottest-ever day Tuesday, with temperatures hitting a high of 40.3 degrees Celsius (104.5 degrees Fahrenheit) in the east of England, as London’s fire service tackled several blazes across the capital.

The provisional figures from the U.K.’s weather service showed Coningsby, Lincolnshire, hit the new high Tuesday afternoon, surpassing two new records set earlier in the day.

The country’s previous hottest temperature was 38.7C, recorded in Cambridge in 2019.

It comes as Brits face the second day of an extreme heatwave, which is causing widespread disruption and raising the risk of wildfires.

“If confirmed this will be the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK. Temperatures are likely to rise further through today,” the Met Office said on Twitter.

Temperatures were forecast to hit as high as 42C in parts of England by Tuesday afternoon, according to the Met Office, which issued a red extreme heat warning. Health authorities urged people to take precautions, including staying indoors and drinking plenty of water.

The country is also on high alert for wildfires, with the southeast of England at “very extreme danger,” according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

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Texas Power Grid Warns Of Record Demand Amid Back-To-Back Triple-Digit Heatwaves

May 14, 2022

Texas Power Grid Warns Of Record Demand Amid Back-To-Back Triple-Digit Heatwaves

An early summer heatwave pattern continues to boil parts of the Central and Southern Plains. This means parts of Texas will continue to roast with temperatures forecasted to reach triple digits next week.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state’s power grid operator, is already warning of record energy demand next week as customers crank up the AC.

Power consultant Doug Lewin, who actively monitors the Texas grid, told FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth that triple-digit temperatures are very concerning because it’s “still not even summer.”

On Tuesday, ERCOT reported power grid demand jumped to 70,703 megawatts, smashing the May 2018 record demand of 67,271 megawatts due to an early week heatwave. Now the next round of heat has the power grid operator concerned.

ERCOT issued an operating conditions notice (OCN) for extremely hot weather. The OCN begins on Friday and lasts through next Wednesday. The grid operator ensured customers it had enough power to meet the demand spike.

The National Weather Service’s Austin/San Antonio office warns that “more triple-digit heat is in store for early next week.”

High temperatures across the Dallas/Fort Worth areas are expected to flirt with triple digits on Sunday through next week.

Back-to-back heatwaves hitting parts of Texas when power plants usually go offline for maintenance is concerning, though the latest from ERCOT is that they have everything under control.

Australia Ties Record for Hottest Southern Hemisphere Day

January 14, 2022

Australia Ties Record for Hottest Southern Hemisphere Day

It topped 123 degrees Fahrenheit in Western Australia, tying the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded in the southern hemisphere

A map showing the misery index in Australia on Thursday.

Gif: Earth Wind Map

It is really, really, really hot in Australia right now.

On Thursday, Onslow, a coastal town in Western Australia north of Perth, recorded a high temperature of 123.3 degrees Fahrenheit (50.7 degrees Celsius). That sweltering heat ties the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded in the southern hemisphere, which was set in 1960 in the South Australia outback.

While Onslow was the hottest spot on the continent on Thursday, it wasn’t alone in suffering through the heat. The nearby towns of Roebourne and Mardie both recorded temperatures of 122.9 degrees Fahrenheit (50.5 degrees Celsius), both of which are records as well. Before this week, Australia has only crossed the 122-degree-Fahrenheit (50-degree-Celsius) mark three times in its history. Now, it’s happened at three locations in one day—and even more intense heat is on the way.

Luke Huntington, a meteorologist at Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology, told local outlet WA Today that the dry spring the area has had could be contributing to the record-setting temperatures—and that this trend could continue.

“The Pilbara region has had persistent hot temperatures over the last few months. and there has been no rainfall to really take away the hot air that has built up,” he said. “Over the next few months. there is a high chance that temperatures on a day-to-day basis will be above average, at least until the wet season rains hit properly.”

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

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