Extreme heat has been a constant in the news this past summer: In July a punishing heat wave in Europe pushed temperatures across parts of the U.K. above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) for the first time in history. That same month was viciously hot across China, including in Shanghai—home to 26 million people—which tied its highest-ever July reading of 105.6 degrees F (40.9 degrees C). And even before the summer officially began, searing heat settled over the U.S. South in May. Amarillo, Tex., recorded its earliest day with temperatures topping 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C), and Abilene, Tex., endured 14 straight days of 100 degrees F or higher, doubling its previous streak.
Those were just a few of the events that contributed to the Northern Hemisphere’s land areas experiencing their second-warmest June and third-warmest July on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But temperatures that make big news today may seem ho-hum—even relatively cool—within a couple of decades, as the continued burning of fossil fuels pushes baseline temperatures ever higher. Heat waves are also becoming longer and more frequent. Not every summer will be hotter than the one just before it, of course, but global warming means that the heat records set today will eventually fall down the charts. As U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said during the July launch of Heat.gov, a government website for heat information, “The reality is, given the scientific predictions, this summer—with its oppressive and widespread heat waves—is likely to be one of the coolest summers of the rest of our lives.”
Even heat waves that don’t set daily temperature records can be made worse by climate change. Though the southern U.S. is used to hot summers, several prolonged heat events this year had highs above 100 degrees F across large areas for days at a time. Because of this, Texas recorded its hottest April–July on record and saw the average maximum temperature for July top 100 degrees F for the first time. “There were no, say, 10-day periods that are off-the-charts huge, but it’s just been relentless,” says NOAA climate scientist Derek Arndt. A recent Washington Post analysis of data from the nonprofit First Street Foundation found that long stretches of hot weather will become more frequent and last longer across the U.S., particularly in the South. Nearly half of all Americans now experience at least three consecutive days that are 100 degrees F or hotter each year, and that will increase to two thirds in the coming decades. Some parts of the South could see 70 such consecutive days.
The capacity of populations to cope with ever increasing and more frequent heat extremes is a key concern of the current climate emergency. Several places that are famous for cooler summers, such as the U.K. and the U.S. Pacific Northwest, have not built the infrastructure to cope with extreme heat. Many homes in these and other areas lack air-conditioning—which many may not be able to readily afford. Such constraints make it more likely that people will experience the ill health effects of heat. Even in areas accustomed to hot weather, such as Texas, prolonged extreme heat can ramp up air conditioner use and strain the power grid.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/this-hot-summer-is-one-of-the-coolest-of-the-rest-of-our-lives/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=week-in-science&utm_content=link&utm_term=_featured-this-week&spMailingID=72035932&spUserID=NDI4NTY2ODkyNzM5S0&spJobID=2252958503&spReportId=MjI1Mjk1ODUwMwS2