Forecasters warn of record-breaking US summer heat amid intense El Niño | US news

Meteorologists are expecting a tumultuous summer that could be one of the hottest summers ever in the United States.

New data released on Tuesday showed the first six months of the year were the hottest temperatures ever measured for parts of eight western states.

This data comes as a potentially record-breaking heat wave looms in the east. The National Weather Service expects temperatures to approach all-time highs and sweltering heat indices to exceed 115F (46C) over the July 4th holiday weekend from Washington D.C. to New York.

This week’s intense heat wave will affect more than 100 million Americans and will be further intense due to the increasing impact of El Niño and major drought Affects 45 states. A similar intense heat wave in recent days has pushed temperatures to their highest levels ever in France, Germany and Denmark. Hundreds of deaths across Europe.

Numerous wildfires broke out in the western United States: Including Colorado mountains where winter snow is scarce after a record-warm start to the year.

“Our communities are feeling firsthand the effects of severe drought and looming fire danger,” said Colorado governor Jared Polis. He said at a bushfire briefing on Monday.

Local authorities have been working for months to strengthen preparations for what is expected to be a severe fire season. This includes supply of additional equipment and we are working to secure additional federal support from the U.S. Wildland Fire Department, newly merged federal agency.

Last week, high temperatures were in the 90s in Seattle and Portland, Oregon; It was about 20F warmer than normal for this time of year.

“We know that snowpacks have been very low in the Western U.S. since April 1,” said Washington state climatologist Guillaume Mauger. “Knowing what to expect early gives people time to prepare.”

While there are many factors that will affect this summer’s weather, Mauger warned that ongoing drought and a strengthening El Niño will continue to skew the odds toward unusually high temperatures. Research tied up Low snowpack in April results in increased wildfire risk throughout the western intermountains.

This year’s El Niño is playing out against the backdrop of a severe drought across the United States, on par with the droughts of 1988 and 2012 that sparked massive wildfires and blanketed the continent in sweltering smoke. 1988 was a drought year when weeks-long fires gripped Yellowstone national park, and fires in 2012 plagued California and Texas for months.

Water levels in the Colorado River basin are heading towards new record lows and Triggers new mandatory water restrictions affecting Nevada and Arizona. Later this summer, water levels could fall below critical thresholds required for large hydroelectric dams along the river, including the Hoover Dam, to continue operating.

Wildfires in Colorado and other western states began sending persistent plumes of smoke toward the midwestern and eastern states; This is the latest example of a worsening trend of poor summer air quality in the eastern two-thirds of the country.

MinnesotaWisconsin and Michigan We have already warned residents about the increased potential for unsafe air quality from bushfire smoke this summer. Last year in Madison, Wisconsin recorded some of the worst air quality In July, there were smoky days in the country for a long time.

Extreme heat is the deadliest weather event in the United States in a normal year, but this year is shaping up to raise the risk even more just as the country hosts more than a million international visitors for the World Cup.

This weekend’s World Cup matches could be among the hottest ever played, surpassing even those held in Qatar in 2022. FIFA introduced cooling breaks for the first time in this year’s World Cup matches.

Among vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, or visitors unaccustomed to hot weather, the risk of injury or death is even greater during long heatwaves.

Regina Toto, medical director of emergency preparedness at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said her hospital has been planning for months with local officials to respond to a possible mass casualty event due to the heat wave.

“Since Philadelphia is one of the host cities of the World Cup, [we have] “Toto has been part of various planning committees with the city and healthcare partners to ensure readiness of the overall healthcare infrastructure,” he said.

This year’s heat and fires come as evidence mounts that the human-caused climate crisis is accelerating; This heralds the possibility of increasing tail risk disasters. A rapid study last week found a heatwave in Europe would have been “almost impossible” without the impact of climate change.

The El Niño phenomenon, officially declared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in June, may be one of the strongest events ever observed and is expected to push global temperatures to new record levels over the next 12 to 18 months. El Niño works to release subsurface heat stored in the Pacific Ocean, acting as an accelerator of global temperatures and exerting a strong influence on weather patterns around the world.

In areas that rely on air conditioning during intense summer heat, such as Philadelphia and Phoenix, experts and government officials are worried It is stated that the increase in electricity usage of artificial intelligence data centers may increase the risk of simultaneous mass power outages during a heat wave.

A study conducted in 2023 It found that if a widespread power outage occurred during a period of record-high temperatures in Phoenix, more than half the city’s population could require hospitalization for heat-related illness or injury, potentially resulting in tens of thousands of deaths.

“The most appropriate focus at this time is to protect and prepare for potential impacts should the worst of the predictions occur,” Mauger said. “This is why early warnings are so valuable.”