Climate Wire | A record heat wave in the western Mediterranean last month would have been nearly impossible without the effects of climate change, new research reveals.
And even with the help of global warming, it was an extraordinary event.
This is the latest report from World Weather Attribution, a scientific initiative investigating the relationship between climate change and extreme weather. It’s the organization’s fastest study to date, published just a week after the Mediterranean heat wave subsided.
The event was an early kickstart to the northern hemisphere’s summer disaster season. Temperatures soared in parts of Portugal, Spain, Morocco and Algeria in the last week of April, reaching levels not normally seen until the peak of summer.
Portugal broke the national April heat record with nearly 98.5 degrees Fahrenheit, and Spain broke the April record with temperatures approaching 102 degrees Fahrenheit. The record-breaking 106 F.
Across the region, temperatures were about 20 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than average for this time of year.
This kind of temperature “is usually only seen in July and August, so it arrived at least two months earlier than usual,” said a scientist at Morocco’s Mohammed VI University of Technology and a co-author of the new study. Author Fatima Driouech says: Press conference announcing new findings.
A new study used a combination of local weather data and climate models to explore how global warming has affected extreme heat. Using the model, scientists can simulate a world where human-caused global warming never existed and compare it to the current climate.
The study found that in a world without climate change, heat waves would have been at least 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit cooler. Without the effects of global warming, the chances of such an event occurring would have been at least 1 in 100.
“While a rare event in our current climate, in colder climates of the past, this extreme event was almost impossible,” said a climate scientist at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute and another co-author of the study. said Sjoukje Philip,
At the same time, extreme heat could worsen across regions as global temperatures rise. The world is already warming more than 1 degree Celsius (more than 2 degrees Fahrenheit). Future heatwaves of this magnitude in the Mediterranean could be at least 1 C (1.8 F) higher if global warming hits the 2 C threshold.
In general, climate models show that as the world warms, heat waves around the world will become more frequent and more intense.
This means world leaders need to prepare for a hotter world, said study co-author Rup Singh, a senior climate risk adviser at the Red Cross and Red Crescent Climate Center. is one of the deadliest natural disasters in the world. When it occurs early in the season, as it did last month, it can be even deadlier.
“As of the end of April, people are not necessarily bringing air conditioners or fans into their homes to prepare for heating,” she said.
And humans have not yet adapted to the lingering heat of late summer. You just aren’t prepared for the shock of a sudden extreme heat wave.
However, this year, not only in the Mediterranean Sea, but all over the world, the heat wave of early summer continues.
Extreme heat hit much of Asia last month, including parts of Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Bangladesh and China. The Bangladeshi city of Dhaka hit a blazing 105.1 degrees Fahrenheit on April 16, hitting its hottest temperature in almost 60 years. Thailand also broke its all-time record on April 14 when Tak city hit a staggering 114 degrees Fahrenheit.
In certain parts of South Asia, April and May are the hottest months of the year. Still, this year’s heatwave was one of the most severe in recent history, breaking records across the region.
North America is also experiencing unusual spring heat this season. In places like Arizona and Nevada, much of the United States saw temperatures 20 F above average last month, soaring into the 90s. Daily and monthly temperature records have rolled across much of the country.
Spring heat is exacerbating other climate-related disasters around the world.
Flood warnings were issued due to high temperatures in California as the snow in the mountains began to melt rapidly. Yosemite National Park was forced to close due to the risk of flooding.
Meanwhile, much of the Mediterranean suffers from persistent drought conditions exacerbated by extreme heat. Drought has hit crop yields such as wheat and barley.
“It highlights how heatwaves, combined with other hazards, can have cascading effects on economies, livelihoods and health,” Singh said.
Reprinted from E&E News with permission of POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2023. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environmental professionals.
