The southwestern United States is in the grip of a blistering heat wave with parts of Arizona and California threatened with higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued extreme heat alerts including advisories, watches, and warnings for more than 111 million people across the United States.
In Phoneix, the mercury rocketed above 100 for the past 12 successive days, while California’s Death Valley, one of the hottest places on the planet, could see the temperature soar past the 125°F mark and even touch 130°F.
The National Weather Service has issued excessive hot weather alerts saying “widespread areas of Major Heat Risk will increase to Extreme levels this weekend.”
Already, Phonix has seen an all-time high of the low summer temperature at 94°F on Wednesday this week.
In the Washington metro area, the mercury hovered around 100°F this week, making people adopt ways to beat the excessive heat. While a lot of people rushed to swimming pools, people, especially the elderly, preferred to stay in shady places while increasing their water intake. The heat wave threatens to expose the vulnerable and the homeless to dangerous health hazards. With schools closed for the summer holidays, kids had a fun time at the cool swimming pools but medical experts advised against too much exposure to sun with necessary precautions.
July is Washington’s warmest month with six of the District’s 10 warmest July’s having occurred since 2010.
Meanwhile, weather experts say the heat wave can cause wildfires and storms.
In New York, the heat wave continues and a report in The New York Post says smoke from wildfires burning in western Canada could return to the United States. The paper says air quality alerts have been issued for communities in the Upper Midwest starting this weekend as hundreds of fires burn in the border region.
Recent American and international reports have attributed extreme weather to climate changes occurring faster than ever before. American Meteorological Society in its annual report identified the role of climate change in fueling extreme weather.
The United Nations in a report last year said human-induced climate change is affecting many weather and climate extremes in every region across the globe.
Scientists are also observing changes across the whole of Earth’s climate system; in the atmosphere, in the oceans, ice floes, and on land.
Many of these changes are unprecedented, according to the report. The United Nations has commissioned some of the world’s leading scientists to study and advise the world on climate change.
“But there is still time to limit climate change, IPCC experts say. Strong and sustained reductions in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases, could quickly make air quality better, and in 20 to 30 years global temperatures could stabilize. “
