Heatwave scorching US west ‘virtually impossible’ without climate crisis, say scientists | US weather
The record-breaking heat wave that scorched the US West this week would have been “almost impossible” if not for the climate crisis, a team of scientists has determined.
From the Pacific coast to the Rocky Mountains, millions of Americans cooked in unseasonably hot and even dangerous temperatures this week; temperatures were 17°C above the year’s average.
The climate crisis, driven primarily by the burning of fossil fuels, has quadrupled the likelihood of such heatwaves occurring in the past decade, according to a new study. Quick analysis published on Friday.
“These temperatures are completely outside the range set for March,” analysis co-author Ben Clarke, a researcher in extreme weather and climate change at Imperial College London, said in a statement.
Analysis by World Weather Attribution, an international consortium of climate researchers, says that in a world without global warming, the current heat wave would also be milder, about 0.8°C cooler.
“These findings leave no room for doubt. Climate change is pushing weather conditions to extremes that were unthinkable in a pre-industrial world,” said Friederike Otto, professor of climate science at Imperial College London, who also worked on the study.
To conduct their rapid analysis, the scientists examined forecasts for the five-day period between March 18 and 22. Researchers analyzed weather and forecast data to measure the impact of global warming on the week’s temperature extremes and also used climate model simulations to compare how heat events have changed in today’s climate.
The heat dome, fueled by a high-pressure area in the atmosphere, broke temperature records in 140 cities stretching from California to Missouri. Weather ChannelAs it leaves California, Nevada and Arizona under extreme heat warnings on Thursday.
More warmth awaits us in the coming days. The mercury is expected to continue moving higher in the southwest, and the heatwave is expected to move across the plains and south towards the end of this week. By the end of the week, 100 cities could break all-time temperature records for March, with temperatures rising up to 17°C above the year’s average, according to new analysis.
Heat is the deadliest form of extreme weather in the United States. Weather officials this week expressed concern about a rise in heat-related illnesses, especially among vulnerable populations, and advised people to stay hydrated and stay indoors as much as possible.
The heat also hurt local economies; Multiple ski resorts in California and the Tahoe region have been forced to close or scale back operations this week due to rapid snowmelt and high temperatures.
“Across the western United States, the seasons that humans and nature have grown accustomed to for centuries are disappearing, endangering many people, including those who work outdoors and those without air conditioning,” Otto said. “The threat is not far away; it is here, it is getting worse, and our policy needs to catch up with reality.”
