The heat wave in the USA is getting worse. Experts fear a significant increase in heat-related illnesses and deaths.
Seattle – The heat records tumble and tumble. The western US continues to suffer from an unprecedented heat wave. Even in regions that are otherwise known for mild temperatures and abundant rainfall, people are exposed to temperatures above 40 degrees. The first communities are already starting to ration water. And in many places the end of the heat is not yet in sight. With dangerous consequences.
The Washington Post is already speaking of “the worst heat wave in the history of the Pacific Northwest”. Rightly so, as the temperatures in many states in the western United States make clear. In Washington, California, Idaho, Oregon and Nevada in particular, the peak values are currently well above the normal values for this time of year. Parts of Utah, Arizona and Colorado are also affected. For example, on Monday (June 28th, 2021) an all-time high of 46.67 degrees Celsius was measured in Portland, Oregon. Portland reported a new all-time high on the two days before. Before the weekend it was 41.67 degrees Celsius.
Heat wave in the USA becomes a danger: Experts fear an increase in heat-related deaths
A similar picture is currently emerging in Seattle, the largest city in the US state of Washington. The metropolis is actually known for mild – rather even cool – temperatures and abundant rain. After all, an average year in Seattle has about 300 rainy days. Here too, 42.22 degrees Celsius were measured on Monday. Also a new record. And: an even higher peak than that in Washington DC or cities in southern regions of the USA.
A big problem: that many households do not have air conditioning due to the rarely occurring heat. Washington Governor Jay Robert Inslee has even lifted the contact restrictions introduced due to the corona pandemic, according to a report from the news portal huffpost.com, so that as many people as possible can stay in air-conditioned buildings.
The end of the heat wave in the Northwest of the USA is not in sight: heat records are falling
Experts fear that the intense heat wave could lead to a dramatic increase in heat-related illnesses and even deaths. In the United States, heat is recognized as the leading cause of weather-related deaths.
Heat records were also broken in several other regions on Monday. Even further north, for example in Lytton in the Canadian province of British Columbia, there is currently extreme heat. A new record temperature of 47.89 degrees Celsius was reached in Lytton. For comparison: Even in the desert city of Las Vegas (Nevada) the record is a little lower at 47.22 degrees Celsius. And there is no end in sight to the heat in the Pacific Northwest for the time being.
Historic heat wave in the USA: water level at historically low level
“The large-scale weather pattern across the country will not change significantly in the next few days, so anomalous weather conditions will persist in many areas,” said the National Weather Service in Spokane on Sunday. “The historic northwest heat wave will continue for much of the coming week, with numerous daily, monthly and even all-time records that are likely to be set.” In some places, Tuesday (29.06.2021) could thus be the hottest day since the weather began become. In some regions of the affected states, temperatures can even exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the next seven days. That is, over 37.78 degrees Celsius.
As a result of the heat wave in the USA, drought and drought are also becoming more and more of a problem. As reported by the US news portal Daily Beast, the US drought monitor recorded the most extreme values since its inception. According to the AP news agency, California’s water reservoirs hold an average of 50 percent less water than usual at this time of the year. In large parts of the country, people are also preparing for an extraordinary forest fire season.
Extreme weather in the US: Climate change makes weather patterns more likely
According to the Washington Post, a slowly advancing high pressure area is responsible for long-lasting heat. A so-called “heat dome”, which is now assuming life-threatening proportions on the border between Canada and the USA.
Such a weather phenomenon should only occur on average every several thousand years. However: Scientists assume that climate change makes such extreme weather patterns more likely. “The past is no longer a reliable guide to the future. These events are becoming more frequent and intense, a trend that is expected to continue, ”tweeted the Oregon Climate Office. The US space agency Nasa also pointed out in January that 2020 was the hottest year since weather records began. The ten-year cycle between 2010 and 2020 is also said to have been the hottest in history.
Although the summer forecasts of the national weather service in the USA had predicted a “historic, dangerous, long-lasting and unprecedented” heat, hardly any expert had expected these extreme temperatures. According to the meteorologist, such extreme weather is difficult to predict inside. After all, there is no comparable situation in the past, according to the local weather service in Seattle. (Yannick Little)
Headline list image: © Ross D. Franklin / dpa
