The American West and much of the South of the United States find themselves crushed this weekend by a heat wave “extremely dangerous”according to the weather services, the mercury reaching up to 47°C in some cities.
“A oppressive and extremely dangerous heat wave is expected to hit the West this weekend, as well as some places in the South”alerts the National Weather Service (NWS) in a bulletin on Saturday morning. “Multiple temperature records are likely and air quality issues will be common in many parts of the United States”further believes the NWS.
And respite isn’t likely to come anytime soon for the more than 90 million Americans under a high temperature alert, as the heat dome is expected to “stay stationed over (these areas) for the next few days”predicts the NWS.
In Phoenix, a metropolis of Arizona in the southwestern United States, 47°C are expected at the end of the afternoon for what should be the 16th consecutive day of maximums above 43°C.
Part of the state is on alert level « magenta »and “rare and/or long-lasting extreme heat level” which represents the NWS’ highest alert level.
In southern California, firefighters have been fighting several very violent fires since Friday which have ravaged more than 1,214 hectares and led to the evacuation of the population.
Fire in Moreno Valley, Southern California on Friday. (ERIC THAYER/AP/SIPA)
Towards a world temperature record above 54.5°C?
For climatologist Daniel Swain of the University of California, Los Angeles, mercury in Death Valley could equal or even exceed the highest air temperature ever reliably measured on Earth, at 54.4°C. C registered in the same place in 2020 and 2021, according to several experts.
“This heat wave is NOT typical of desert heat due to its long duration, extreme daytime temperatures, and hot nights”hammered the Las Vegas branch of the NWS in a tweet, continuing: “everyone must take this heat wave seriously, including those living in the desert”.
Twitter – NWS Las Vegas on Twitter
In Texas, the energy supplier Reliant Energy has asked residents of the large city of Houston to restrict their electricity consumption in order to moderate the pressure on the electricity grid.
Other regions of the United States are at risk of severe weather. “Strong to violent thunderstorms, heavy rain and flooding are possible in many places, particularly and unfortunately in New England, which is already saturated” by recent rainfall, according to the NWS.
This region of the northeast of the country, and particularly the state of Vermont, was affected this week by floods “historic and catastrophic”as a result of torrential rains.
In Canada, “no respite since the beginning of May”
In Canada, the number of fires continues to increase, particularly in the west of the country, where in a few days several hundred fire starts have been recorded, mainly triggered by thunderstorms.
“We find ourselves this year with figures that are worse than our most pessimistic scenarios”Yan Boulanger, a researcher for the Canadian Ministry of Natural Resources, told AFP. “What is completely crazy is that there has been no respite since the beginning of May”analyzes this specialist in forest fires.
More than 10 million hectares have already gone up in smoke across the country – more than 11 times the one-year average of the past decade. The absolute annual record – set at 7.3 million hectares in 1989 – has already been largely exceeded.
In total, the country has counted 4,088 fires since January, including many blazes reaching hundreds of thousands of hectares. More than 150,000 people also had to be displaced.
The impact is also being felt in the neighbor to the south, as the smoke from the wildfires has seen several northern American states, such as Montana and North Dakota, register levels “harmful” of air quality.
Greenhouse gas emissions are increasing the strength, duration and rate of repetition of heat waves, experts say.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency indicates that “heat waves are occurring more frequently than before in major cities across the United States”.
“Their frequency has increased continuously, from an average of two heat waves per year during the 1960s to six per year during the 2010s and 2020s”she says.
2023-07-15 19:05:01
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