[ad_1]
Tens of millions of people in the Northern Hemisphere have experienced sweltering heat this summer as the world appears to be heading for its hottest July on record.
With temperature records faltering, experts have pointed the finger at climate change caused by burning fossil fuels, saying global warming plays a major role in the damaging weather.
Eleven days into the heatwave, Greece’s National Weather Institute warns that a reprieve is still days away, making this the longest heatwave the country has ever seen.
“According to the data, we are likely to experience a heat wave of 16 to 17 days, which has never happened before in our country,” said Costas Lagovardos, director of research at the National Observatory. ERT TV Saturday.
The previous heat wave record was set in Greece in 1987, when scorching temperatures of over 39 degrees Celsius lasted for 11 days.
Across the southern United States, about 80 million Americans will soar in temperatures of 41 degrees Celsius and above this weekend, according to the National Weather Service (National Weather Service).NWS) He said.
The worst in the country is expected to reach 46°C in Phoenix, Arizona, which has seen a record three consecutive weeks of highs above 43°C.
Meanwhile, tourists flock to Death Valley National Park, which straddles the border between California and Nevada, to post selfies with a temperature display outside the visitor center.
Many hope to see it break the world record of 56.7°C, which was set in July 1913, but it is likely the result of a faulty measurement, according to several meteorologists.
Regardless, July 2023 is on track to be the absolute hottest month — not only since records began, but also in “hundreds, if not thousands, of years,” said NASA’s lead climate scientist Gavin Schmidt.
The effects cannot be solely attributed to the El Niño weather pattern, which has “just come out” and is not expected to strengthen until later in the year.
El Nino is associated with a rise in ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean.
The extreme heat trend is expected to continue, Schmidt said, “and the reason we think this will continue, is because we continue to put greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.”
Greece, which is battling dozens of wildfires, warned people not to venture outside unnecessarily due to the baking heat.
The exceptional temperatures also mean that major tourist sites such as the Acropolis are closed during the hottest part of the day.
“This weekend could be the hottest July in the past 50 years,” said Panagiotis Giannopoulos, a meteorologist with state broadcaster ERT.
On Saturday, the state meteorological service reported that sea temperatures were two to three degrees above normal, while the Akrotiri weather station recorded 42.6 degrees Celsius on Friday, which is expected to exceed.
Sunday is likely to see the city work under 44C temperatures, with Central Thessaly remaining 45C.
Temperatures affect people’s health.
A 46-year-old man suffered heatstroke on the island of Evia, central Greece, after entering a hospital Chalkis said the hospital, who said it was caused by heart and respiratory failure after exposure to high temperatures.
Emergency health officials told the state broadcaster that at least 38 patients with heat stroke have been admitted in the past three days, while hospitals are also seeing cases of fainting and other heat-related illnesses.
Meanwhile, authorities report that firefighters are still battling 79 forest fires across the country, with their spokesman Vassilios Vathrakoiannis saying Greece will be on alert over the weekend.
Fires on the island of Rhodes forced dozens to evacuate their homes late Friday, officials said, with Slovakian firefighters arriving to provide reinforcements.
Greece is just one of a group of countries battling a prolonged bout of sweltering heat around the world in recent days.
[ad_2]
