An onslaught of heat waves grips parts of the Northern Hemisphere, as some cities face dangerously high temperatures.
Tuesday’s maximum temperature forecast is very high
Source: Climate Reanalyzer, Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, using data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Forecast System
In Europe, much of Italy is engulfed in heat, with temperatures expected to reach 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Celsius) in the central and southern parts of the country. They are likely to creep even higher in the southern islands of Italy. Rising temperatures and strong winds have fueled wildfires in coastal towns in Greece, the Canary Islands and coastal villages in Croatia.
Warming temperatures have also come in China and the Middle East, where the heat index – a measure of how hot it is outside taking into account temperature and humidity – has reached deadly levels.
In the United States, blistering temperatures are expected in southeastern California, southern Arizona, Texas, and the Southeast.
Temperatures forecast for Tuesday are warmer than normal
Degrees warmer or cooler than the 1979-2000 average for July 18
Source: Climate Reanalyzer, Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, using data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Forecast System
Last month was Earth’s warmest June on record, according to World Meteorological Organization researchers, and scientists said the first two weeks of July were the hottest since at least 1940.
Abnormal heat shocks are driven by persistent emissions of heat-trapping gases, mainly from the burning of fossil fuels, and partly by the return of El Niño, a cyclical weather pattern associated with globally warm years.
Warmer surface air temperatures accompany oceanic heat waves. Waters near Florida and the Caribbean reached the 90s Fahrenheit last week, posing a severe threat to coral reefs and other marine life.
