From the normally mild summer climes of Ireland, Scotland and Canada to the scorching Middle East to Southern California, numerous locations in the Northern Hemisphere have witnessed their hottest weather ever recorded over the past week.
Large areas of heat pressure or heat domes scattered around the hemisphere led to the sweltering temperatures. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports the heat is to blame for at least 54 deaths in southern Quebec, mostly in and near Montreal, which endured record high temperatures.
In Northern Siberia, along the coast of the Arctic Ocean where weather observations are scarce model analyses showed temperatures soaring 40 degrees above normal on July 5, to over 90 degrees. It is absolutely incredible and really one of the most intense heat events Ive ever seen for so far north, wrote meteorologist Nick Humphrey, who offers more detail on this extraordinary high-latitude hot spell on his blog.
On Thursday, Africa likely witnessed its hottest temperature ever reliably measured. Ouargla, Algeria soared to 124.3 degrees (51.3 Celsius). If verified, it would surpass Africas previous highest reliable temperature measurement of 123.3 degrees (50.7 Celsius) set July 13, 1961, in Morocco.
No single record, in isolation, can be attributed to global warming. But collectively, these heat records are consistent with the kind of extremes we expect to see increase in a warming world.
Lets take a tour around the world of the recent hot-weather milestones.
A massive and intense heat dome has consumed the eastern two-thirds of the United States and southeast Canada since late last week. Its not only been hot but also exceptionally humid. Here are some of the notable all-time records set:
- The University of California Los Angeles set its all-time high-temperature of 111 degrees on July 6, along with several other locations in Southern California. - Denver tied its all-time high-temperature record of 105 degrees on June 28. - Mount Washington, N.H., tied its all-time warmest low temperature of 60 degrees on July 2. - Burlington, Vt., set its all-time warmest low temperature ever recorded of 80 degrees on July 2. - Montreal recorded its highest temperature in recorded history, dating back 147 years, of 97.9 degrees (36.6 Celsius) on July 2. The city also posted its most extreme midnight combination of heat and humidity. - Ottawa posted its most extreme combination of heat and humidity on July 1.
Excessive heat torched the British Isles late last week. The stifling heat caused roads and roofs to buckle, the Weather Channel reported, and resulted in multiple all-time record highs:
- In Scotland, Glasgow had its hottest day on record, hitting 89.4 degrees (31.9 Celsius). Previously, it was reported that Scotland set its hottest temperature on record of 91.8 degrees (33.2 Celsius) on June 28 in Motherwell, about 12 miles southeast of Glasgow. However, upon further evaluation, the U.K. Met Office determined the record was invalid due to an artificial heating source near the temperature sensor. - In Ireland, on June 28, Shannon hit 89.6 degrees (32 Celsius), its all-time record. - In Northern Ireland, Belfast hit 85.1 degrees (29.5 Celsius) on June 28, its all-time record. - Castlederg hit 86.2 degrees (30.1 Celsius) on June 29, its all-time record.
A large dome of high pressure, or heat dome, has persistently sat on top of Eurasia over the past week, resulting in some extraordinarily hot weather:
- Tbilisi, Georgia: On July 4, the capital city soared to 104.9 degrees (40.5 Celsius), its all-time record. - Yerevan, Armenia: On July 2, the capital city soared to 107.6 degrees (42 Celsius), a record high for July and tying its record for any month. - Several locations in southern Russia topped or matched their warmest June temperatures on record on the 28th.