Southwestern US on alert for dangerous heatwave

A large swathe of the southwestern United States was on alert Thursday for a potentially deadly heatwave that could push temperatures as high as 47 degrees celsius (117 Fahrenheit) over the coming days.

Millions of people in California, Nevada and Arizona were warned to expect dangerous conditions for at least some of the weekend, with the National Weather Service advising residents to stay out of the sun.

While the region usually heats up at this time of year, forecasters warned it would be considerably hotter than average.

Inland and desert areas of California will be particularly hot on Friday and Saturday, with the tourist city of Palm Springs expected to hit 45 degrees, while nearby Ocotillo Wells could reach 47 degrees.

"We've had some prior heat waves this year, but not as intense as this one or as long duration," San Diego weather service meteorologist Alex Tardy said.

Prolonged exposure to high temperatures can be exceedingly dangerous for humans.

The World Health Organization says excessive heat stresses the body, and increases the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular disease.

"Heatwaves can acutely impact large populations for short periods of time, often trigger public health emergencies, and result in excess mortality, and cascading socioeconomic impacts," the WHO says on its website.

Heatwaves and temperature variations are a natural part of the climate, but scientists say human-caused global warming is creating a greater number of extreme events, sometimes with devastating consequences.

In June last year a "heat dome" sat over the western United States and Canada.

The intense temperatures and worst-in-a-millennium drought gripping the region led to numerous fires.

In the village of Lytton, northeast of Vancouver, temperatures reached 49.6 degrees in the days before a destructive fire swept through.

California, along with much of the American West, is on high alert for wildfires.

Years of below-average rainfall has left huge tracts of countryside tinder-dry, and almost the entire state is classed as suffering from severe drought or worse.

In 2020 and 2021, a total of almost seven million acres (2.8 million hectares) were burned in California alone, and forecasters are warning there could be another grim year ahead.

Portugal faces severe drought after hottest May since 1931
Lisbon (AFP) June 9, 2022 - Portugal has recorded its hottest May since 1931, with severe drought now affecting most of the country, the national meteorological office said Thursday.

"It was the hottest May in 92 years," the Portuguese Sea and Atmosphere Institute (IPMA) said in its latest monthly climate bulletin.

The average top daily temperature was 25.87 degrees Celsius (78.57 degrees Fahrenheit), "the highest since 1931", it said.

Rainfall in May was "much lower than normal", amounting to just 13 percent of the average for May recorded between 1971 and 2000.

As a result, there was a "very significant spread of severe drought", which has affected 97 percent of the country, the IPMA said.

By the end of May, 1.4 percent of the country was suffering "extreme drought".

Scientists say repeated droughts are a sign of climate change.

They are expected to become even more frequent, more prolonged and more intense in the future.

"This deficit in rainfall that we are observing is in line with the trend of the last 20 years, marked by more frequent dry periods as a result of climate change," Vanda Pires, a climatologist at IPMA, told AFP.

After a winter that was already the fourth hottest and fifth driest since 1931, Portugal's summer looks "worrying", she added.

From Friday the country is expected to experience "a sharp rise in temperatures", which could reach 40 degrees Celsius, said Pires.

The civil protection authorities warned on Thursday of "an increased risk of fires" and mobilised some 5,000 staff for the weekend.

Related Links
Weather News at TerraDaily.com

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