LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Experts have warned that the world is entering "unchartered territory", as the heatwaves hit Europe, America, and Asia concomitantly, with a "heat dome" clobbering the US, a Saharan furnace gripping Africa and China, recently reeling under recording temperatures of 52.2C. The Northern Hemisphere which is overwhelmed by the upsurge in temperature will reportedly escalate this week which may lead to severe health risks among people, including heart attacks and even death.
The World Meteorological Organization, on Tuesday, July 18, shared that the heatwave was in its primitive stage and said that the temperature will remain above 40C in North America, Asia, North Africa, and the Mediterranean "for a prolonged number of days this week as the heatwave intensifies".
Wildfires have swept in the USA and southern Europe
Both the US and southern Europe have been shrouded by wildfires, posing a grave threat to people's lives and shelters in nearby areas, with Greek authorities recently rescuing 1200 children from holiday camps threatened by flames yesterday, July 17. Europe, which is worst affected by this intense heat, will likely witness the peak of the heatwave today or tomorrow, July 19, with the temperatures set to be as high as 49C predicted in some areas.
China recorded the country's highest-ever temperature
The village of Sanbao in northwest China recorded the highest-ever temperature on Sunday, July 16, alongside a typhoon that hit yesterday, forcing around 230,000 people to evacuate their homes. With the world just undergoing its hottest-ever recorded week, meteorologists are now saying that people need to be prepared for the worse as July is set to become the hottest month in the history of mankind.
Karsten Haustein, a research fellow in atmospheric radiation at Leipzig University, told The Guardian, "The chances are that the month of July will be the hottest month ever… 'ever' meaning since the Eemian [interglacial period], which is some 120,000 years ago."
Why European countries are experiencing such high temperatures?
According to Daily Mail, experts cited three key factors which serve as the main reason behind the surge in temperature in Europe. These are El Niño, a warming of the ocean surface or above-average sea temperatures which disrupt airflow, a stationary high-pressure system also known as an anticyclone, and certainly climate change.
"Europe is not particularly affected by El Niño events directly, therefore it is likely the high-pressure system and climate change that are the main contributors to this heatwave event", said Dr Melissa Lazenby, a lecturer in Climate Change at the University of Sussex. The European Space Agency has forecasted a record high temperature of 48C in Italy's islands of Sicily and Sardinia. According to the UN weather agency, the previous European temperature record was 48.8C recorded in Sicily in 2021.
The World Meteorological Organization claimed new records have already been recorded at various weather stations in parts of the Northern Hemisphere and new national records may also be set. "The heat is forecast to intensify by the middle of the week (19 July) in parts of the Mediterranean, including Greece and Turkey", it said. 'A further continuation into August is likely." The WMO described the heat as "worrying news for the planet" and admitted that "we are in uncharted territory".
Forecasters said that the UK will not be impacted by scorching temperatures until the middle of next month. While the Britishers are experiencing relatively comfortable weather now, the situation is completely different in southern Europe, the US, and Asia.
A wildfire intensified overnight in Greece and burned down forests north of Athens for a second day on Tuesday. Italians were warned to prepare for "the most intense heatwave of the summer and also one of the most intense of all time". On Monday, July 17, temperatures hit a near-record 39C in Rome. Temperatures are expected to remain above 40C through Thursday in Cyprus, a 90-year-old man died as a result of heatstroke, and three other seniors were hospitalized, health officials said.
