Topline
Heat records around the world are set to be broken in the coming days as a heat dome expands across the southern United States, an anticyclone dubbed Charon (named after the guy in Greek mythology who ferries the souls of the dead across the River Styx) pushes severe heat from north Africa into Europe and El Niño conditions continue to develop.
Runners pass a heat danger warning sign during the AdventurCORPS Badwater 135 ultra-marathon on July … [+]
Key Facts
Death Valley could tie or set the record for the hottest temperature ever measured on Earth this week, breaking its own 110-year-old record of 134 degrees Fahrenheit due to a combination of low elevation, cloudless skies and dry climate that make the valley “a virtual blowtorch of hot air,” Scientific American reported.
The nearby cities of Las Vegas and Phoenix, as well as parts of southern California, could also break their records early this week as Phoenix prepares to hit the longest consecutive stretch of days above 110 degrees—Sunday was the seventeenth day in a row to see these high temperatures. The current record stands at 18 days, set in 1974.
St. George, Utah, could also break its 117-degree heat record Monday, according to the New York Times, after hitting 114 degrees Sunday, the same day Peter Sinks, Utah, a sinkhole known as one of the coldest places in the contiguous United States, recorded the lowest temperature in the U.S. at 30 degrees.
Health warnings have been issued for 16 cities in Italy, as the islands of Sicily and Sardinia are set to record “potentially the hottest temperatures ever” in Europe, the European Space Agency said, breaking an August 2021 record of 48.8 degrees Celsius (119.8 F) set in the Sicilian town of Floridia.
Record heat in Sanbao township in China’s Xinjiang region is expected to continue this week after the area reported hitting 51.7 degrees Celsius (125 F) Sunday, a full degree warmer than the previous record set in 2015, Reuters reported.
Dee Lee, 34, cools off amid the searing heat that was forecast to reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit on … [+]
Clint Johnson, of Pleasant Hill, California, and Melanie Anguay, of Las Vegas, pose for a photo next … [+]
Key Background
The last few months have brought brutal weather to countries across the world, including extreme heat and record-breaking flooding. Last month was the hottest June ever, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said, and July has continued to break heat records. Greek officials closed access to the Acropolis monument on Friday as temperatures climbed to 104 degrees and Spain reached a record-high land temperature—how hot the land is to the touch—of 140 degrees. Europe, which was earlier this year dubbed the fastest-warming continent, is currently suffering under an anticyclone weather system named “Charon” as El Niño—a climate pattern associated with warmer temperatures—brings heat to other parts of the world.
Surprising Fact
China hit its heat record Sunday, just six months after recording its coldest-ever day. Jintao Station in the Heilongjiang Province recorded temperatures of –53 degrees C on January 22, well below the country’s 1969 record of –52.3.
Relief at last: A man cools off by riding his bicycle inside a fountain in Piazza Castello on July … [+]
Futher Reading
Europe Warming Faster Than Any Other Continent, Report Suggests (Forbes)
Europe’s Dangerous Heat Wave: Greece Closes Acropolis As Warnings Issued Across Italy, Spain And Germany (Forbes)
July 4 Was Earth’s Hottest Day In Over 100,000 Years—Breaking Record For 2nd Day In A Row (Forbes)
131 Degrees—Death Valley Projected To Set Earth’s Modern Temperature Record (Forbes)
Record-Breaking High Temperatures: Here’s Where The U.S. Has Hit New Highs For 2023, Including Miami, Phoenix and Austin (Forbes)
A large crowd visits the Parthenon Temple on the Acropolis Hill on July 14, 2023. The country closed … [+]
A man cools off by a fountain water during a heatwave in Seville, Spain on July 10, 2023.
A child holds water from a fountain on his face to cool off at Kugulu Park in capital Ankara, … [+]
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/07/17/millions-suffering-under-stifling-heat-heres-where-records-could-be-broken-this-week/