Heatwave on the planet: when temperatures reach historic highs

In it heat In the unforgiving heat of Morocco’s Middle Atlas Mountains, people were sleeping on rooftops. Hanna Ouhbour also needed shelter, but she was outside a hospital waiting for her diabetic cousin, who was in a room without air conditioning.

On Wednesday, there were 21 heat-related deaths at Beni Mellal’s main hospital as temperatures soared to 48.3 degrees Celsius (118.9 degrees Fahrenheit) in the region of 575,000 people, most without air conditioning.

“We have no money and we have no other option“said Ouhbour, a 31-year-old unemployed woman from Kasba Tadla, an even warmer town that some experts say is one of the hottest hottest of the Earth.

“Most of the deaths occurred in people suffering from chronic diseases and the elderly, as high temperatures contributed to the deterioration of their health and led to their death.“, explained Kamal Elyansli, regional health director, in a statement.

This is life and death in the heat.

As the warming Earth endured a week with four of the hottest days ever recorded, the world focused on cold, hard numbers showing the average daily temperature across the planet.

But the reading of 17.16°C (62.8°F) recorded on Monday does not convey how oppressively sticky some places became, particularly during the peak of the Sun rays and humidity. The thermometer does not tell the story of a heat that simply does not go away at night so that people can sleep.

Records are statistics, they keep count. But people don’t feel the data. They feel the heat.

“We don’t need any scientist to tell us what the temperature is outside, because that’s what our body tells us instantly.“We are in a state of crisis,” said Humayun Saeed, a 35-year-old fruit seller in Lahore, Pakistan’s cultural capital.

Saeed had to go to the hospital twice in June due to a heatstroke.

“The situation is much better now as it was not easy to work in May and June due to the heat wave, but I have avoided the morning walk.“Saeed added. “I may resume it in August, when the temperature drops even further.”.

The heat made Delia — a pregnant 38-year-old standing outside a train station in Bucharest, Romania — even more uncomfortable. It was so hot during the day that she was drowsy. With no air conditioning at night, she considered sleeping in her car like a friend had done.

“I’ve really noticed a huge increase in temperatures. I think it was the same for everyone. I felt it even more because I’m pregnant.“said Delia, who only provided her first name.But I guess it wasn’t just me. In truth, we all felt this way.”.

Karin Bumbaco, a self-described weather nerd, was in her element, but then it got a little too much when Seattle had day after day of much warmer-than-normal heat.

“I love science. I love the weather. I’ve loved it since I was a little girl.“said Bumbaco, Washington state’s deputy state climatologist.It’s kind of fun to watch daily records being broken… But in recent years, just experiencing it and feeling the heat has become even more miserable on a day-to-day basis.”.

“Like this last streak we’ve had. I didn’t sleep very well. I don’t have air conditioning at home.“Bumbaco added. “I watched every morning as the thermostat set a temperature just a little higher than the day before. The heat in the house was increasing and I couldn’t wait for it to end.”.

For climate scientists around the world, what had been an academic exercise in the climate change literally came to their home.

“I’ve been crunching these numbers from the cool of my office, but the heat has started to get to me too, causing sleepless nights due to warmer urban temperatures.“We are seeing a lot of changes in the climate,” said Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, Maharashtra, which normally has a relatively temperate climate.

“My kids come home from school during rush hour, exhausted“Koll added.Last month, the mother of one of my colleagues died of heat stroke in northern India.”.

Philip Mote, a climate scientist and dean of the graduate school at Oregon State University, moved to California’s Central Valley, with its 100-plus degree summer heat, as a high school student.

“I quickly realized that I didn’t like the hot, dry weather.“Mote said.And that’s why I moved to the Northwest”.

For decades, Mote worked on climate issues from the comfort of Oregon, where people feared that with global warming the Northwest “It would be the last nice place to live in America and everyone would move here and we would have overpopulation.”.

But the region was hit by terrible fires in 2020 and a deadly heatwave in 2021, prompting some people to flee what was supposed to be a climate refuge.

In the second week of July, temperatures reached 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). As a member of a masters rowing club, Mote practices on the water on Tuesday and Thursday nights, but this week they decided to simply float downriver in “tubes,” doughnut-shaped inner tubes with a bottom.

In Boise, Idaho, tubing in heat that has ranged from 99 to 108 degrees Fahrenheit (37 to 42 degrees Celsius) for 17 days has become so popular that there is a 30-minute to an hour wait to get in the water, said John Tullius, general manager of Boise River Raft & Tube, which rents rafts, tubes and kayaks.

“I think there have been record numbers for the last 10 days in a row.“Tullius said, adding that he is concerned about his workers who work outdoors, especially the physical strain on those who collect the rafts at the end of the journey.

He has erected a special structure to provide shade, added more workers to ease the load and is urging them to stay hydrated.

In Denver’s City Park, the swan-shaped paddleboat rental shop isn’t as busy because it’s a terrible heat outside and the brave souls who do get out have to sit on hot fiberglass seats.

There is not much shade for the workers, “but we hide in our little shed“said employee Dominic Prado, 23.Also, we have a really powerful fan in there and I like to lift my shirt up over it just to cool off.”.