2023-07-14 13:16:44
Extreme weather events are becoming more common due to climate change. A current example are the heat waves in large parts of the northern hemisphere from Europe to China to the United States. Meteorologists are expecting temperature records in many places over the weekend.
On the Italian islands of Sicily and Sardinia, the thermometer is expected to rise to 48 degrees. The European Space Agency speaks of “possibly the hottest temperatures ever measured in Europe”.
In Greece, too, the 40 degree mark is to be exceeded. The government has already taken precautions to protect against heat: for example, the Acropolis is temporarily closed, and the Red Cross is distributing tens of thousands of water bottles in front of the excavation site.
Maximum temperatures in Germany
In Germany, too, the weekend will be very, very hot. The German weather service forecasts up to 36 degrees in the east of the country for Saturday. Temperatures are expected to drop below 30 degrees again on Monday.
36
Grad It’s supposed to be warm on Saturday in the east of Germany.
The southern United States, on the other hand, has been suffering from high temperatures for weeks. There is currently an extreme heat warning for more than 100 million people. The states of Arizona, California, Nevada and Texas are particularly affected.
The highest air temperature ever measured on earth could be reached in Death Valley this weekend, says climate researcher Daniel Swain from the University of California in Los Angeles. The previous reliably registered record was 54.4 degrees in 2020 and 2021.
Red alert for extreme heat
North Africa is also experiencing great heat at the moment and the Moroccan weather service has issued a red alert for extreme heat for the southern parts of the country. In some regions of China, including the capital Beijing, people are suffering from a brutal heat wave.
Due to the high temperatures, the demand for electricity rose to an unprecedented level on Monday, as announced by one of the country’s largest energy suppliers.
According to the European Copernicus service, June was the warmest month worldwide since records began. According to preliminary data, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) also declared the first week of July the hottest so far. The El Niño weather phenomenon is making the situation even worse.
In some regions of China, including the capital Beijing, people are suffering from a brutal heat wave. © dpa/Andy Wong
Extreme weather events as a result of global warming would “unfortunately become the new normal,” warns WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas. According to the organization, heat is one of the deadliest weather events. According to a study, 61,000 people died last year in Europe alone due to the high temperatures.
Oceans hit by heat wave
The oceans are not spared from the heat either. In southern Florida, the water temperature near the coast rose to over 32 degrees, as reported by the responsible US authority NOAA.
The WMO warns that the surface temperature in the Mediterranean will sometimes rise to over 30 degrees in the next few days and weeks and expects values of more than four degrees above the average. Heat waves in the oceans have devastating effects on plants and animals.
More on the subject at Tagesspiegel Plus:
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Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the Antarctic pack ice reached its smallest extent in a June. Since the mid-18th century, the world has warmed by an average of almost 1.2 degrees, resulting in not only pronounced heat waves but also more severe droughts, floods and storms.
For WMO chief Taalas, the current heat underscores “the growing urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as quickly and as much as possible.” (AFP)
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