Deadly heat waves are scorching cities on four continents as the Northern Hemisphere marks the first day of summer, a sign that climate change may again contribute to record heat that could surpass last summer as the hottest in 2.000 years.
Record temperatures already reached in recent days are believed to have caused hundreds, if not thousands, of deaths across Asia and Europe
In Saudi Arabia, nearly two million Muslim pilgrims are completing the hajj at the Grand Mosque in Mecca this week. However, hundreds died during the pilgrimage due to temperatures above 51 degrees Celsius.
Egyptian medical and security sources told Reuters yesterday that at least 530 Egyptians had died while participating in the hajj. By Wednesday, 307 deaths had been reported. Another 40 of them are missing.
A heat dome occurs when a strong high pressure system traps warm air over an area, preventing cold air from entering and causing ground temperatures to remain high
Countries around the Mediterranean also endured another week of high temperatures that contributed to wildfires from Portugal to Greece and along Africa's northern coast in Algeria.
In Serbia, meteorologists are predicting temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius this week as winds from North Africa bring a heat wave across the Balkans. Health authorities declared a red alert and advised citizens not to go outside.
The emergency service in Belgrade announced that their doctors intervened 109 times overnight to help people with heart and chronic health problems.
The Ministry of Labor and Employment ordered employers to organize outdoor work in such a way as to avoid heavy physical work and direct exposure to the sun.
Reuters states that in Montenegro, the health authorities have warned people to stay in the shade until late in the afternoon, and that tens of thousands of tourists are looking for refreshment on the beaches along the Adriatic coast.
In Greece, firefighters battled wildfires near Athens on Wednesday that forced dozens of people from their homes, with authorities saying they believed both arson and hot, dry conditions had sparked the blazes.
In Europe this year, there have been a number of cases of dead and missing tourists amid dangerous heat. A 55-year-old American citizen was found dead on the Greek island of Matraki, police said Monday. It is the third such death of a tourist in one week.
Parts of the US Northeast and Midwest are also suffering under the heat dome, with more than 86 million people under a heat advisory yesterday, according to the National Weather Service.
A heat dome occurs when a strong high pressure system traps warm air over an area, preventing cold air from entering and causing ground temperatures to remain high.
As part of its heat emergency plan, New York announced the opening of cooling centers for the first time this year.
Weather officials also issued an extreme temperature warning yesterday for parts of Arizona, including Phoenix, with temperatures expected to reach 45,5 degrees.
Counting the dead
The summer period in India lasts from March to May, when the monsoon slowly begins to sweep the country and relieve the heat.
But New Delhi recorded its hottest night in at least 55 years on Wednesday, with a temperature of 35,2 degrees at XNUMX a.m., according to the Safdarjung Observatory in India.
Temperatures usually drop at night, but scientists say climate change is causing nighttime temperatures to rise. In many parts of the world, nights are warming faster than days, according to a 2020 University of Exeter study.
New Delhi has recorded 38 consecutive days with maximum temperatures of 40 degrees or more since May 14, according to the weather service.
An Indian health ministry official said on Wednesday that more than 1 suspected heatstroke cases and at least 18 confirmed deaths were recorded between March 40.000 and June 110, when northwest and eastern India recorded double the number of heatwave days than usual in one of the longest such periods in the country.
However, as Reuters points out, accurately counting deaths caused by heat waves is difficult. Most health authorities do not attribute the deaths to the heat, but to illnesses that are exacerbated by high temperatures, such as cardiovascular problems. Authorities therefore significantly underestimate the number of heat-related deaths — typically overlooking thousands, if not tens of thousands, of deaths.
Record high temperatures
The heatwaves come as part of 12 consecutive months that rank as the hottest on record compared to previous years, according to the European Union's climate change watchdog.
The World Meteorological Organization says there is an 86 percent chance that one of the next five years will surpass 2023 as the hottest year on record.
Although global temperatures have risen nearly 1,3C above pre-industrial levels, climate change is fueling more extreme temperature peaks - making heat waves more frequent, more intense and longer lasting. On average globally, a heat wave that would have occurred once every 10 years in the pre-industrial climate will now occur 2,8 times every 10 years and be 1,2 degrees warmer, according to an international team of scientists from the World Weather Attribution (WWA) group.
Scientists say heat waves will continue to intensify if the world continues to emit climate-warming emissions from burning fossil fuels.
If the world reaches 2 degrees of global warming, heat waves will occur an average of 5,6 times in 10 years and will be 2,6 degrees warmer, according to the WWA.
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