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Acropolis closed amid heatwave in Greece as temperatures reach 39C
Greek authorities closed the Acropolis in Athens for five hours on Wednesday as a 39C heatwave swept across the city.
The ancient site in the Greek capital was closed from midday until 5pm due to the extreme heat.
Red Cross medics were also seen handing out water bottles to tourists.
Temperatures were expected to hit 43C on Thursday in the Mediterranean country, driven by southerly winds bringing hot air from North Africa.
Many primary schools and nurseries across Greece have shut for two days, while city authorities also announced that rubbish collection would be halted for several hours.
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Sydney records hottest August day in seven years amid high fire danger from warm, windy weather
High fire danger for Sydney as hot and windy weather sweeps NSW
The unusually warm and windy weather sweeping across New South Wales has triggered high fire danger ratings, while damaging wind gusts in Victoria shook windows and roofs overnight and were forecast to continue.
Sydney’s temperatures have shot “way up above the averages for August”, senior BOM meteorologist Angus Hines said. The city’s average August temperature is 17.9C.
The forecast high of 28C for Wednesday would be the hottest August day recorded in at least the last seven years, beating last year’s 27.5C recorded on 30 August at Sydney’s official weather station. The city’s record August temperature is 31.3C, set in 1995.
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Broome surpassed 40C yesterday, marking its hottest ever August day
According to Weatherzone, Broome recorded its hottest ever August day yesterday, reaching a top of 40.5C.
This was the hottest August day for Broome since weather observations commenced there in 1897. Weatherzone reports:
Prior to 2024, 40C had only been observed in Australia four times during winter. Over the past four days, this threshold has been breached 16 times at weather stations located in WA and the NT.
This was also the first time an NT location (Bradshaw-Angallari in this case) has exceeded 40C during August.
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‘Working here is hell’: latest death of farm worker in 40C heat shocks Italy
Italy has been shocked by reports of the “brutal” treatment of migrants working on farms across the country and the death of a flower picker in temperatures of about 40C (104F). Tens of thousands of migrants have been taking to fields to pick tomatoes and other crops across Italy at the same time as the country has been engulfed in consecutive heatwaves since the middle of June.
The Italian Meteorological Society said average summer temperatures in Italy between June and August have increased by 1.5C over the past 30 years, from 1994 to 2023.
Sweltering heat has brought a new and deadly risk to low-paid workers toiling outdoors to pick fruit and vegetables.
Dalvir Singh, who worked on a flower farm, is thought to have died from a combination of extreme summer heat and a heavy workload. The 54-year-old was found dead on 16 August in a field near the city of Latina in central Italy. Colleagues who spoke to the Guardian said that he had never been sick and was a “kind man who always worked hard”.
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Temperatures to reach 15C above average in parts of Queensland
The Bureau of Meteorology has published this map, showing how far temperatures are above average for August today:
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Heatwaves broil South Asia with record temperatures
Bangladesh, rather the entirety of the Indian subcontinent and southeast Asia, is currently suffering from a massive series of heatwaves.
In fact, reports have shown that we as a global community have already surpassed 1.5°C increase from industrial times and may pass 2°C within 10 years.
This has marked the continuing failure of the world to work towards the Paris Accords climate goal, which is to hold "the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels" and pursue efforts "to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels."
Across the subcontinent temperatures as high as 47°C have been recorded in multiple locations, with the majority of the areas staying in 32-38 range throughout the day.
India recorded peak temperatures in Odisha and West Bengal, with Odisha recording a maximum temperature of 45.2°C and West Bengal only slightly below recording a peak of 44.6°C.
The Myanmar Meteorological Department revealed the peak temperature yesterday to be an alarming 47°C in Chauk, a town on the Irrawaddy river northwest of their capital of Naypyidaw.
Comparatively, yesterday Bangladesh suffered under a 42°C peak in Jashore and Dhaka's temperature rose to 40.4°C.
But the South Asian subcontinent is not alone in its suffering.
Europe has not reached the same peaks, but the consequences of their rising temperatures have manifested in varying climate disasters, from droughts to excessive rainfall.
These events have had a significant impact on farms across that continent.
Farmers in the UK have reported losses from excessive rain rotting their crops in the ground while France and Spain are suffering droughts and heatwaves that have also reduced their harvests.
The UK is facing food shortages as a result, with their import of fresh produce limited by both brexit bureaucracy and the simple fact that there is not much to import anymore.
Climate change is here and its impact can be seen all over the world to the point it can no longer be denied by any but the most strident deniers.
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Brazil wildfires worsened by mega drought, extreme heat
Over the last week, some 2,700 fires have ripped through Brazil's southern Sao Paulo state. More than 40 communities were on high alert, with the state capital and other cities shrouded in heavy, gray smoke.
At the latest count, authorities said more than 59,000 hectares (some 146,000 acres) had been destroyed by the flames, an area about the size of Chicago. This included vast swaths of sugar cane fields, one of the country's top exports.
Federal police suspect arson is to blame for the fires, which started in different locations at the same time and spread rapidly through tinder-dry vegetation in a region that hasn't seen rain for months.
"We had an explosive combination of three factors: high temperature, very strong winds and very low relative humidity in the last few days," said Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas on Tuesday.
Extreme heat, drought fueling fires
The dry period in Brazil usually lasts from August to October. But climate experts with the World Weather Attribution, a group of scientists investigating the effects of climate change on extreme weather, said this past June was the country's "driest, hottest, and windiest" month since records began in 1979.
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Australia just had its warmest August on record with a mean temperature anomaly of +2.43°C compared to the 1991-2020 average. This also capped off Australia’s 2nd warmest winter on record.
https://x.com/Ben_Domensino/status/1830372723761279263
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Iran sets new heat record: Temperatures rise to 82degC
A weather station in southern Iran recently reported an unbelievable heat index of 82.2°C (180°F) and a dew point of 36.1°C (97°F). If these numbers are confirmed, it could be the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth. These extreme conditions were registered at an airport weather station, where the air temperature hit 38.9°C (102°F) with 85% humidity, creating this staggering heat index.
Colin McCarthy, a meteorologist based in the U.S., mentioned that an official review is necessary to verify these figures. He also expressed some doubt since other nearby weather stations showed much lower dew points, generally around 30°C. Despite this, McCarthy confirmed that a historic heatwave is sweeping across much of the Middle East. In Dhahran, Saudi Arabia—home to the world record for the highest dew point of 35°C (95°F)—a dew point of 33.9°C (93°F) was recorded recently.
The heat index, often called the "feels-like" temperature, combines the air temperature and humidity to estimate how hot it actually feels. If these records are verified, they will shatter previous highs and highlight the extreme weather gripping the region. Climate experts warn that such intense heat waves are likely to become more frequent and severe due to global warming.
The extreme weather conditions we've seen recently emphasize the need to be prepared for climate change and its potential impact on public health and safety. Climate scientists warn that global warming is likely to make such events more frequent and intense, demanding urgent action from the global community.
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Israel's 2024 summer hottest on record, report reveals
Israel Meteorological Service data shows heat measurements from June to August have broken all previously recorded in the country
The Israel Meteorological Service reported on Monday that the hot weather in August followed July which was significantly hotter than average and June, which was unusually warm. The three months this summer made it the hottest on record by a notable margin since spatial measurements began in 1950. The second hottest was 2012, with a gap of 1°C (1.8°F).
"The Meteorological Service's summer report confirms what we all felt: 2024's summer was the hottest in Israel since measurements began," said Israel Meteorological Service Director Dr. Amir Givati.
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Zeke Hausfather -With all of August now in, 2024 has effectively tied 2023 as the warmest August on record in the @CopernicusECMWF dataset.
August 2024 was 1.49C above preindustrial levels, and 2024 is now virtually certain to be the warmest year on record.: https://x.com/hausfath/status/1830820053496819752
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South Korea sees highest average summer temperature on record
From June to August, the average temperature in the country was 25.6 degrees Celsius (78.08 Fahrenheit), the Korea Meteorological Administration said.
That is the highest figure since the agency set up nationwide observation posts in 1973, it said, and is 1.9 degrees higher than the historical average for summer.
"From mid-June, temperatures remained higher than in previous years, even during the monsoon season when temperatures traditionally drop," the KMA said.
KMA head Jang Dong-un said climate change was altering South Korea's weather patterns.
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Daily maximum power demand hits record in Aug. amid extreme heat
South Korea's average daily maximum power demand reached a new high in August as the country experienced scorching summer heat that persisted throughout the month, data showed Monday.
The country's peak power demand in August averaged 87.8 gigawatts, a 6.1 percent increase from a year earlier, according to the Korea Power Exchange.
The increase was driven by the higher electricity consumption for air conditioning due to the heat wave that continued throughout the month.
South Korea's meteorological agency reported that the number of heat wave days, or days when the daily high was 33 degrees Celsius or higher, reached 16 in August, the second-highest since 1973, when the data was first recorded.
The number of tropical nights, where nighttime temperatures remained above 25 C from 6:01 p.m. to 9 a.m. the following day, reached 11.3 days in August as well, marking the first time this figure has reached double digits.
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Another Global Warming Record: Hottest Summer Ever
This summer was the hottest ever in the Northern Hemisphere, putting the Earth on track for another record-breaking year.
The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service reported that for June to August, global temperatures were 0.69°C above historical averages, beating the previous high set last year. The record for the world’s highest average temperature was broken on a number of days over the summer.
Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heat waves, triggering extreme weather events from droughts and wildfires to violent storms and flooding. Over the past 12 months, the global average temperature was 1.64°C higher than pre-industrial levels, above the 1.5°C threshold that policymakers and scientists say threatens life on the planet.
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Brian Brettschneider - The Mediterranean Sea had an average sea surface temperature (SST) in August of over 28C. No other month in any other year (not just other Augusts) has ever topped 28C. https://x.com/Climatologist49/status...96308766179349
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Heat wave causes power outages for more than 100,000 LADWP customers
More than 100,000 homes in Los Angeles endured triple-digit temperatures without power at some point during this nearly week-long heat wave.
"Extreme heat has caused power outages in some neighborhoods. @LADWP crews are working to restore power quickly and safely," Mayor Karen Bass posted on X last Friday.
According to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, from Wednesday to Monday, 109,827 customers had their power cut at some point during the heatwave, which brought record-setting temperatures to downtown Los Angeles, Long Beach and LAX.
Residents in the San Fernando Valley, where temperatures consistently reached above 100 degrees, bore the brunt of the outages, with dozens scattered around the area.
At the time of Bass' tweet, about 130 outages affected more than 16,500 households in the City of LA. By noon on Monday, crews had reduced the number by more than half to 6,700. About 100 minor outages affected a fraction of the 1.5 million customers the LADWP serves, according to the utility company.
The concerns of outages cutting power to air conditioners during the heat wave prompted LA Unified School District officials to shift over a dozen schools to a minimum day schedule:
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In China, Extreme Heat Is Disrupting the Start of the School Year
China’s schools are facing intensifying public calls to install air conditioning units in their classrooms as an unseasonal heat wave disrupts the start of the academic year.
Temperatures in many parts of China are still above 35 degrees Celsius, but large numbers of primary and middle school classrooms rely only on ceiling fans for ventilation.
With class sizes often exceeding 40 students, the heat can be intolerable, forcing schools to take a range of emergency measures, from delaying classes to asking parents to donate AC units and giant blocks of ice.
But these calls for donations are also sparking controversy. In central China’s Hunan province, one primary school has faced accusations of trying to get parents pay for AC to be installed in each of its classrooms.
The school issued a donation form to parents, asking them to agree which families would pay for installing new AC units, sockets, and wiring in each classroom. The document even specified which brand of air conditioning the parents should purchase.
Though local officials stressed that the donations were purely voluntary, the incident quickly went viral on Chinese social media, sparking a wave of public criticism. Local education authorities issued a statement later last week, confirming the school had been ordered to reimburse the parents.
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Record-breaking late heatwave continues in Japan
Most parts of Japan, from Kanto to Kyushu, on Saturday experienced intense late-summer heat, with high-pressure systems driving temperatures up, according to the country’s weather agency.
Out of 914 monitoring locations across the country, 542 recorded temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius or higher, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported.
The highest temperature recorded nationwide was 37.8 degrees Celsius in the city of Minamishimabara in Nagasaki prefecture, the data showed.
Tokyo also experienced intense heat with a high of 34.5 degrees Celsius recorded at Chiyoda in central Tokyo.
It will mark the latest recorded extreme heat day since records began if temperatures exceed 35 degrees Celsius on or after Sunday, according to the JMA.
The current latest 35-degree day on record fell on September 12, 1942, Xinhua news agency reported.
The weather is expected to change on Sunday, according to the JMA, adding that a weather front moving southward from northern to eastern Japan would bring cloudy skies and rain to areas like Kanto-Koshin.
However, the temperature in Tokyo is still forecasted to reach a high of 34 degrees Celsius.
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They died with the AC off: Why the government pays for heating but not cooling
Millions of Americans are endangered by extreme heat due to federal policies that steer billions of dollars away from the nation’s hottest regions.
At least a dozen government agencies oversee programs that ignore or minimize the threat of extreme heat as rising temperatures shatter historical records across the U.S., an investigation by POLITICO’s E&E News found.
Disregard for the health dangers of heat is embedded in federal laws and regulations written decades ago, when home heating costs were soaring, air conditioning was rare and the risks of climate change were not widely understood.
The programs treat extreme heat as a discomfort rather than today’s deadliest weather events by denying millions of people federal aid to cool their homes and barring homeowners from using tax credits and government-backed mortgages to pay for window air conditioners.
The policies belie the Biden administration’s unprecedented flood of grants, regulations and tax incentives aimed at reducing climate pollution and strengthening the nation against the effects of climate change. The administration has promoted heat safety extensively, proposed workplace heat protection mandates and spent hundreds of billions of dollars on green energy, emissions reductions and energy efficiency.
“We do not currently have the climate that most of our buildings, our laws, policies, formulas and grants were designed around,” said Grace Wickerson, health equity policy manager for the Federation of American Scientists.
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Get set for more extreme weather across Australia this spring and summer, say meteorologists
Australia is no stranger to extreme weather. From heat waves and droughts to flooding rains, hailstorms or fire weather, our continent experiences it all.
To help Australians prepare for these hazards, the Bureau of Meteorology regularly briefs emergency services and governments, along with providing forecasts and advanced warnings for the public when severe weather approaches.
The latest spring and summer briefing shows the rest of this year is likely to be warmer than normal, with more extreme heat events possible.
We need to prepare for fire risks and severe storms. There's also every chance the nation could experience multiple extreme events at any one time—concurrently or in rapid succession—in different parts of the country.
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Heat-related deaths surge by 117% since 1999, exceed 20,000 fatalities
In an alarming testament to the escalating climate crisis, a staggering 2,325 Americans succumbed to extreme heat last year, marking the highest annual toll on record, according to the American Medical Association journal JAMA.
This sobering statistic underscores a 117 percent surge in heat-related deaths since 1999, with over 20,000 lives claimed by blistering temperatures over the past two decades.
As climate change relentlessly drives up global temperatures, experts warn that the true extent of these fatalities may be severely underestimated, casting a grim shadow over the future.
https://www.accuweather.com/en/clima...lities/1689547
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Extreme Heat Call to Action and New Climate Resilience Tools
White House Asks Public, Private Sectors to Commit by Nov. 1 to Quell Effects of Extreme Heat
On the heels of the hottest August globally in the 175 years that records have been maintained, the White House held the first-ever White House Summit on Extreme Heat on Sept. 13. More than 100 invited participants from around the country and the federal government gathered to discuss ways to protect against extreme heat.
Recognizing that extreme heat is the deadliest of weather-related hazards, the White House convened community representatives at the summit – ranging from workers exposed to extreme heat, healthcare professionals, emergency responders, and researchers and innovators – to discuss lessons learned and to announce a series of new programs and tools to manage extreme heat at home and abroad.
These announcements included a new Extreme Heat Call to Action aimed at the public and private sectors to prepare for future heat events, along with a request to respond to that call by Nov. 1. Communities and organizations that are interested in participating can submit their commitments here.
The administration also announced the Draft Community Heat Action Checklist, available to local governments to help them prepare for extreme heat, and a United States Agency for International Development toolkit to ensure the well-being of agency workforce members during extreme heat events across the world. These initiatives to address the urgent and growing health and humanitarian crisis caused by extreme heat are part of $50 billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act investments to facilitate coordination of planning and responses to build climate resilience.
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Hong Kong swelters under record Mid-Autumn Festival heat
Hong Kong experienced its hottest Mid-Autumn Festival since records began in 1884 with temperatures hitting 35.7 degrees Celsius, the city's weather service said on Tuesday (Sep 17).
The Hong Kong Observatory said Tuesday was also the hottest day of 2024 and urged the public to take precautions such as drinking more water and avoiding vigorous outdoor activities.
"Until 4pm (8am GMT), the maximum temperature recorded at the Observatory was 35.7 degrees Celsius, the hottest Mid-Autumn Festival ever recorded, also the highest so far this year," the observatory said.
The festive date - when the moon is said to be at its fullest - is usually celebrated between mid-September and early October by families across China with meals, mooncakes and lanterns.
But Hong Kong's moon-gazers may be disappointed as cloudy weather with a few showers and isolated thunderstorms was expected later Tuesday, the observatory said.
Following its hottest-ever summer in 2023, Hong Kong this year also logged a "much hotter than usual" summer with a mean temperature of 29.4 degrees Celsius, the observatory said earlier.
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Historic desert heat wave shatters 19 consecutive records
Blazing summertime heat just wonÂ’t quit across the desert southwest as a truly historic October heat wave continues this weekend.
Phoenix, Arizona, has seen daytime high temperatures crack the 40-degree mark every day since the last week of September. This is a remarkable event for a region that typically starts seeing relief from the searing heat by the middle of autumn.
Records fall day after day
Phoenix set a daily record high on Sept. 24 with a high temperature of 42.2°C. The city set another record high of 45.0°C the following day. And yet another the next day. And again the day after that.
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Brazil is hit by an extreme heat wave, temperatures reach 42.5 degrees Celsius
Warnings have been issued for almost 3 cities across Brazil, where an extreme heat wave has been recorded.
Rio de Janeiro recorded temperatures of 42.5 degrees Celsius on Sunday, a record for November, and Tuesday's high humidity helped it feel like 58.5 degrees.
More than one hundred million people have been affected by the heat wave, which is expected to last at least until Friday, Telegraph reports.
Officials attributed this to the El Nino phenomenon and climate change. The city of Sao Paulo recorded an average temperature of 37.3 degrees on Tuesday afternoon, the National Institute of Meteorology reported.
Citizens describe the weather problems as impossible and that they are exhausted during activities.
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Australia is facing high temperatures
Record temperatures have been recorded in Australia. Authorities in many areas are on alert due to the danger of fires.
The thermometer went to 42 degrees Celsius. According to authorities, New South Wales is facing a full-blown drought. About 7 homes were left without electricity due to the heat.
This extreme heat wave is destroying fauna and flora. In the town of Allis Springs alone, over 100 wild horses have died. About a million fish have been found dead along the banks of rivers in Western Australia.
