Deadly heatwave after the hottest June in the US. Image Courtesy – Abc7chicago
Millions of US people are suffering from sultry weather of summer – scientists are saying that July had been the hottest month of this season. The previous month also was the hottest month of this year. Scientists are also of the opinion that these type of heat-waves are expected to come more frequently throughout the world because of global warming.
American scientific agency, The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that the average global temperature for the month of June this year was above the average temperature of the 20th century. They also reported that sea-ice of Arctic and Antarctica has been decreased alarmingly.
Robert Rohde, a leading scientist at Berkeley Earth, told that July would also like to be the hottest July as per the statistical record because the global temperature has been increasing continuously. Another climatologist at NOAA, Ahira Sánchez-Lugo, commented that our climate has become warmer; and so a new set of normal temperatures have been defined.
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He also told that the average temperatures of June have risen in comparison to the average temperature of June in the 20th century. Global warming is responsible for the rise in temperature in the last 50 years. Ultimately, Human beings are responsible to create global warming by emitting greenhouse gases. Rohde clearly pinpointed that the degradation of the atmosphere would only become controlled if human being stops damaging it.
In fact, a warmer month like this year does not happen in every year. Some fluctuations happen in several years. But, as we are moving forward with global warming, we expect to face many records of the warmer month or warmer year. We are expecting several more heatwaves, droughts and extreme weathers.
Uncomfortable situations like heatwave, drought and extreme weather will take a heavy toll on social life, financial sector and travelling as well. Agriculture will be affected and winter days will gradually decrease.
Farmers have already faced difficulty in harvesting crops in the US. Rainfall has recorded low in the US in the month of June that prevented planting of crops. The behaviour of nature is not at all normal in other parts of the world also. Germany, Hungary and Australia observed the warmest June in this year, as well as Switzerland and France, had the hottest day in the month of June.
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Sea-ice coverage in Antarctica was 8.5% below the average in comparison to 1981-2010, and sea ice coverage of the Arctic region was also 10.5% below the average. Entire South America, Africa and some areas of Alaska observed the hottest June on record. There has been a report of infrastructure damage in Alaska. The damage caused by rising of temperature in the polar region by melting subsurface layer of soil that used to remain below freezing point around the year.
According to the experts of National Weather Service of the US, their expectation was an extreme heatwave in the country that was even more life-threatening than floods, hurricanes, earthquake etc.
Reports say that people of the US could be susceptible to extreme heatwave (off-the-charts) conditions near 53-degree celsius that would lead to unusual health risks. Within 60 years, 1/3rd of the total population of the US would face such a deadly situation.
Reference: National Geographic, Time, Down to Earth
