Jonathan Erdman
Heat waves around the world have smashed records in parts of the southern United States, southern Europe, Africa and Asia in recent weeks this summer.
These include all-time high temperatures, record hottest low temperatures and streaks of heat that set new standards even in places accustomed to stifling summer heat.
What follows is a sampling of some of the most eye-popping, noteworthy heat records we've seen in recent weeks, by location.
(US CURRENT MAPS: Temperatures | Heat Indices | Dew Points)
Southwest U.S.
- El Paso, Texas, crushed their previous record streak of 23 straight days of 100-degree-plus high temperatures from late June through mid-July 1994. They also tied their all-time record hottest daily low temperature of 85 degrees twice, on June 30 and July 15.
- Phoenix, Arizona, smashed its previous record streak of 18 straight days of 110-degree-plus high temperatures from June 1974. They also obliterated their previous record streak of 7 straight days of 90-degree-plus daily low temperatures by over a week. Finally, they set a new all-time record hottest daily low of 97 degrees on July 19.
- Tucson, Arizona, tied its record 8-day streak of 110-degree-plus high temperatures from July 15-22. They also topped their previous record number of 10 110-degree high days in any year set in 1990 and 1994. Finally, they will break their previous record of 39 straight days of 100-degree-plus highs previously set in 2013, 2005 and 1987.
- Winslow, Arizona, topped its previous record streak of 16 straight days of 100-degree-plus high temperatures set in 2020.
- Las Vegas tied its record streak of 10 straight days of 110-degree-plus high temperatures from July 14-23.
- Death Valley's Badwater Basin recorded a midnight temperature of 120 degrees twice, on July 17 and July 23. While the official observation at Furnace Creek didn't set an all-time record hot low, those 120-degree readings were thought to be the only occurrences of such extreme heat at midnight local time anywhere on the globe, according to weather records expert Max Herrera.
- Among the all-time record highs tied or broken: Grand Junction, Colorado (107 – tied on July 17); Gallup, New Mexico (101 – tied on July 17); Las Vegas, New Mexico (100 on July 18); Kingman, Arizona (114 on July 15); and Reno, Nevada (108 – tied on July 16).
- Among the all-time record hot daily lows tied or broken: Albuquerque, New Mexico (79 – tied on July 20); Mineral Wells, Texas (84 on July 14); Palmdale, California (82 – tied on July 17); Reno, Nevada (77 – tied on July 17); and Salt Lake City (82 – tied on July 23).
Southeast U.S.
Put simply, Miami and much of South Florida sweltered in what is the area's longest, most intense heat wave.
Some notables and records set:
- Miami tied its record hottest day on July 23, when combining the day's high and low temperature, with July 24, 1983, according to Brian McNoldy, research scientist at the University of Miami.
- Among longevity records measured by both temperature and heat index, Miami also set a record for the most days with 95-degree-plus highs in any year, topping the previous record of 15 days from 2019.
- In the Florida Keys, Marathon tied its all-time record of 99 degrees on July 13 and 24, and set a new all-time hottest daily low of 87 degrees on July 18. Key West also tied its all-time record hot daily low of 87 degrees on July 12 and 18.
- While a 101-degree water temperature in Manatee Bay, Florida, on July 24 is suspect, as explained by Yale Climate Connections meteorologist Jeff Masters, water temperatures around South Florida have consistently risen above 90 degrees for several weeks, helping to fuel the area's heat wave.
Alaska
America's northernmost town, Utqiagvik – formerly known as Barrow – had its warmest five-day stretch in almost 103 years of records from July 19-23.
That included an all-time record-tying warm low of 53 degrees on July 19 and 23, and three days with highs in the low to mid-70s. Highs in the 70s only happened 35 other times since 1920 prior to this warm spell.
When taking into account the day's high and low, July 19 was Utqiagvik's warmest single day on record.
Alaska-based climatologist Brian Brettschneider also noted a reporting station south of Utqiagvik reported the warmest daily low temperature so far north in Alaska.
It was even warm enough for a cluster of thunderstorms over the Beaufort Sea ice pack north of Utqiagvik on the morning of July 24.
Europe
A multi-week heat wave smashed all-time records across parts of southern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, from Spain to northern Africa, Italy and the Adriatic Sea in July.
On July 18, Rome, Italy, smashed its all-time record, soaring to 109.2 degrees, topping its previous record from June 28, 2022, by just over 2 degrees Celsius.
That same day, the Catalonia region in the northeast of Spain also topped its all-time record high, soaring to 113.5 degrees.
Other all-time records set in mid-July included Cannes, France, (102.5 degrees on July 19) and Durrës, Albania (104.7 degrees on July 19).
Earlier in the month, Austria's Sonnblick Observatorium, which recorded a high of 15.7 degrees Celsius (about 60 degrees Fahrenheit) on July 11 at an elevation of 10,200 feet.
The record heat turned up another notch the week of July 23.
Palermo, Sicily, reached 116.6 degrees on July 24, smashing the city's all-time record high since at least 1865, and possibly dating to 1790, according to the Astronomical Observatory of Palermo.
Palermo also appeared to set a new record hot daily low for Europe on July 25, bottoming out at 97.2 degrees, according to Herrera. This reading was the same as the all-time hot daily low mentioned earlier in Phoenix, Arizona.
Herrera noted Jerzu on the island of Sardinia set a new European July heat record on July 24, topping out at 118.8 degrees.
Across the Mediterranean, Algiers, Algeria (119.7 degrees); and Tunis, Tunisia (120.2 degrees) each set all-time records. They were both believed to the be the hottest temperatures on record along the coasts of those two countries, according to Herrera.
Given all this heat, it was no surprise to see sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea were record warm in data since the end of 2007.
Elsewhere Around The World
China set its all-time heat record on July 16, when Sanbao, in western China's Xinjiang Province, soared to 126 degrees.
Dozens of other locations in China have set new all-time heat records this summer, according to data compiled by Herrera.
Periodic heat waves since June have also set some monthly, even all-time records in parts of Japan.
And it's been a searing hot late spring and summer in Central America and the Caribbean.
All-time record highs have been set in recent days in the Cayman Islands and western Cuba, according to Herrera.
The heat records have been no less impressive in Canada.
All-time records were set on July 4 in far northern Quebec and near the Arctic Ocean in Canada's Northwest Territories.
Nearly two weeks later, an all-time record was smashed on Banks Island, north of the mainland of the Northwest Territories about 400 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, had its all-time warmest daily low on July 18, failing to drop below 71 degrees.
And the observation at Gander, Newfoundland, had its highest dew point in records dating to 1959 (73 degrees). That's a muggy dew point more typical of the U.S. South or Midwest in summer, rather than Atlantic Canada.
Here's how to stay safe: The hot conditions will be particularly dangerous for vulnerable groups, such as the sick and the elderly. The NWS has useful heat safety tips that can be incorporated into a daily routine when extreme heat sets in:
-Job sites: Stay hydrated and take breaks inside as often as possible.
-Indoors: Check on the elderly, sick and those without air conditioning.
-In vehicles: Never leave children or pets unattended – look before you lock.
-Outdoors: Limit strenuous activities and find shade. Drink plenty of water and avoid alcohol.
(MORE: 4 Things Extreme Heat Can Do To Your Body)
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. His lifelong love of meteorology began with a close encounter from a tornado as a child in Wisconsin. He studied physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then completed his Master's degree working with dual-polarization radar and lightning data at Colorado State University. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on X/Twitter, Facebook and Threads.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
No comments:
Post a Comment