June hits historic heat record, 36 million Americans under warning

In June, Earth marked its 13th consecutive month of record-breaking heat, continuing a trend that underscores ongoing climate uncertainties, experts caution.

Data reveals that global temperatures for June maintained their highest levels on record, persisting for over a year.

Additionally, June marked the 12th straight month where global temperatures exceeded pre-industrial norms by 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 degrees Celsius).

Experts warn of impending climate limits as global temperatures soar

Senior climate scientists believe that these rises in temperatures indicate that we are getting close to a very important limit set by the Paris Agreement. Most countries had unanimously agreed on the warming limit to the 1.5-degree temperature mark.

Carlo Buontempo, director of the Copernicus Climate Change Service, revealed that the results were not a statistical oddity, but definitely a huge and continuing shift in climate.

“Even if this specific streak of extremes ends at some point, we are bound to see new records being broken as the climate continues to warm. This is inevitable unless we stop adding greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and the oceans” he said .

Other climate scientists have expressed their displeasure about this sudden rise in temperature. They stated that this isn’t good news at all, adding that one of the possible causes behind the rise in temperatures may be global warming.

Continued increases in temperatures can significantly threaten marine animals like coral reefs. The climate scientists added that an increase in every 0.1C (0.18F) will make a difference because global average temperatures translate into huge temperature gaps locally.

This means that people will mostly need to prepare for surviving in a warmer world, which might actually have certain negative implications in the long run.

Heat dome puts one in five Americans under heat warnings in Western states

The National Weather Service (NWS) recently shared that the current heat dome hovering around citizens in Western states is leaving one in five Americans under heat warnings.

The places which are most likely affected are California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. This will leave the young and elderly under threat. The NWS further states that this increase in heat and humidity has led to hundreds of fatalities in the US in the recent past.

Recently, a visitor to Death Valley National Park died owing to heat exposure . Another person was hospitalized when the temperature soared to 128F in Eastern California.

The death occurred amid a prolonged heatwave that has broken temperature records across the US, leaving about 36 million people, roughly 10% of the country, under excessive heat warnings, according to NWS meteorologist Bryan Jackson.

There were many areas in Northern California that had recorded temperatures up to 119F. The NWS also believes that there might be instances of increased wildfire risks. The reasons being a mix of hot, dry, and windy conditions. Heat stroke alerts have been raised in Japan as well, with temperatures almost touching 104F for the first time.

Places in Central Japan have seen temperatures touching 104F, while other parts of Japan have seen temperatures soaring to around 35F.

According to data , the number of heat stroke-related deaths has been increasing from an average of 201 people a year in 1995-1999 to an average of 1,295 between 2018-2022. Most of the deceased were over 65 years of age, according to reports.