USA
US west braces for fiercest temperatures yet as ‘supercharged’ heatwave arrives
Hottest weather of the year just beginning, warns National Weather Service, as authorities prepare to protect most vulnerable
After days of unrelenting temperatures across much of the region, the American west is bracing for even more intense heat this weekend with more than a third of Americans under extreme heat alerts.
California is facing a powerful heatdome, bringing sweltering conditions expected to build Friday and through the weekend, in central and southern parts of the state. The National Weather Service warned many residents they should prepare for the hottest weather of the year as desert area highs could exceed 120F (48.8C).
Death Valley national park was expected to equal or surpass its heat record of 130F (54.4C). Las Vegas could see three consecutive days with a high of 115F, which has happened just once before, the NWS reported. Phoenix, which has endured a two-week stretch of temperatures above 110F with little relief in the evening hours, is expecting its hottest weekend of the year.
“We’ve been talking about this building heatwave for a week now, and now the most intense period is beginning,” the National Weather Service wrote Friday.
The brutal heat comes as the US grapples with extreme weather across the country from the unforgiving temperatures of the west to tornadoes in Chicago and historic flooding in Vermont. Joe Biden has pledged to help communities prepare as Americans experience “the devastating impacts of the climate crisis”.
The heat could carry on into next week as a high pressure dome moves west from Texas. Forecasters warned that the long heatwave is extremely dangerous, particularly for older people, unhoused residents and other vulnerable populations. Officials across the west have repurposed public libraries, senior centers and police department lobbies as cooling centers, especially in desert areas.
“This weekend there will be some of the most serious and hot conditions we’ve ever seen,” said David Hondula, Phoenix’s chief heat officer. “I think that it’s a time for maximum community vigilance.”
The heatwave is already sending people to the hospital in Las Vegas – emergency room doctors reported treating dehydrated construction workers and passed-out elderly residents.
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‘Hell on earth’: Phoenix’s extreme heatwave tests the limits of survival
Residents of Arizona’s capital are used to scorching heat, but the summer’s unyielding sizzle is making harder to live there
It’s Wednesday morning in Phoenix and even under thick clouds, the thermometer is hovering above 100F (37.7C).
Arizona’s capital city is nicknamed “Valley of the Sun”, and residents are used to scorching heat. But by day 12 of a vicious heatwave that’s sent temperatures soaring into triple digits, with little relief overnight, limits are being tested – and it’s only going to get hotter.
The city is on track to break a grim milestone. If the heatwave continues as predicted, Phoenix will have endured an 18-day stretch of temperatures above 110F (43.3C) by Tuesday.
“Phoenix has always been hot,” said Michelle Litwin, the city’s heat response program manager. But this is something else.
Litwin and her team are tasked with aiding the city’s most vulnerable during the city’s brutally hot months, a season that now stretches from April to September. On Wednesday, she and a crew of city workers and volunteers set up a booth at a sprawling homeless encampment to hand out cold water bottles, hygiene kits and other resources that, for those living on the streets, could potentially mean the difference between life and death.
“This is Arizona’s natural disaster,” Litwin said. “We might have flash floods but heat is our issue.”
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Still reeling from catastrophic flooding that left at least 1 dead, Vermont braces for another round of rain
Dangerous weather could bring more flash floods to Vermont – just as the state begins its long recovery from devastating rainfall that deluged the region earlier this week.
At least one person died in the recent storms and flooding, the Vermont Department of Health said in a news release. Stephen Davoll, 63, died in a “drowning accident in his home on July 12,” the release said. No additional details were provided.
More severe thunderstorms, flash floods, hail and even tornadoes could hit Vermont Thursday, the National Weather Service warned.
Teams wrapped up rescue missions for residents trapped by floodwater and there were no reported deaths or ongoing missions tied to the earlier round of storms, Vermont Public Safety Commissioner Jennifer Morrison said Thursday.
Southern Vermont is facing a moderate risk of excessive rainfall and thunderstorms expected Thursday afternoon will last through the night, the weather service said. Much of the already waterlogged state is under a new flood watch.
A ‘perfect storm’ is unfolding this summer and it’s ‘supercharging’ the weather, scientist says
The rainfall totals for Vermont, New Hampshire and parts of New York could reach 1.5 to 2 inches, the weather service warned. While rainfall totals for Vermont are expected to be lower than they were earlier in the week, the soil is saturated and rivers are still running high, making the region more prone to flooding.
Most of the dangerous weather is expected between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday, Morrison said, when the likelihood of localized flash flooding is high.
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EUROPE
Health alerts issued as blistering heat scorches southern Europe
Tourists collapse in Greece and Italy and worker killed near Milan amid heatwave worsened by carbon pollution
A ferocious heatwave inflamed by carbon pollution is baking southern Europe, posing severe health risks to older people and those with underlying health conditions.
Scorching heat has already hit several countries, with local media reports of tourists collapsing in Greece and Italy, and an outdoor worker dying near Milan. Temperatures are expected to hit 42C in Athens on Saturday, 41C in Seville on Monday and 40C in Rome on Tuesday.
An area of high pressure called Cerberus – named after a three-headed dog from Dante Alighieri’s poem Inferno – has brought hot air from Africa to Europe. Warm air, which holds more moisture than cold air, can lead to hot and dry conditions in some areas, and heavy rains and flash floods in others.
The warming climate makes these extremes stronger and more common, said Alvaro Silva from the World Meteorological Organisation. “By 2050, about half of the European population may face high or very high risk of heat stress in summer.”
The planet has warmed 1.2C since the Industrial Revolution because of heat-trapping gases spewed by fossil fuels, and the destruction of nature. In Europe, temperatures have risen nearly twice as fast.
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European heatwave: red alerts issued for 16 cities in Italy
Rome, Florence and Bologna among areas affected as forecasters say Sicily and Sardinia could face record 49C temperatures
ixteen cities across Italy have been issued with red alerts as southern Europe continues to experience fierce heat and faces the possibility of record-breaking temperatures.
Rome, Florence and Bologna are among the areas affected by the heatwave, with forecasters suggesting that Sicily and Sardinia could see temperatures climb as high as 49C (120F), which would be the hottest ever recorded in Europe.
The red alerts mean that even healthy people could be at risk from the heat, and the Italian government has advised those in the alert areas to avoid direct sunlight between 11am and 6pm.
It has also warned people to take particular care of the elderly and the vulnerable.
Several areas of Greece, France and Spain have also been enduring extreme temperatures, with reports of tourists collapsing in Greece and Italy, and an outdoor worker dying near Milan.
In recent days, temperatures in Greece have hit 40C or above. Volunteers have been handing out bottles of water at tourist sites, and authorities took the unusual step of briefly closing the Acropolis in Athens on Friday during the hottest period to protect visitors from the heat. It is understood a similar closure could be repeated on Saturday.
There have also been concerns that the heat could spark wildfires in the country, for which the Greek government has announced contingency plans.
For the first time, a ban was placed on people working in the construction and delivery sectors during the hottest hours of the day. Employees in the public and private sectors in Athens were encouraged to work remotely.
In Spain, the Red Cross told people near wildfires to stay indoors and shut windows.
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INDIA
Yamuna River Threatens to Drown India’s Capital Delhi
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