Forecasters are predicting a further rise in abnormal temperatures in the US, China and southern Europe. In Europe, abnormal heat will linger in southern Spain (46°C) and Sardinia (46°C). Temperatures in mainland Italy will reach 43°C, in the south of France – 40°C.
In the USA, the abnormal heat will hit the southwest to the greatest extent: it is expected that temperature records will be exceeded in 38 major cities at once. For example, on Sunday, the temperature in Death Valley in California reached 53.9°C.
In northwest China, temperatures exceeded 52°C on July 16, a new record for the country in the history of meteorological observations.
The report “Heat-Related Mortality in Europe during the Summer of 2022,” released July 10, said 60,000 people died from extreme heat in June-August 2022 and in the EU alone, with experts and governments believing this estimate is a gross underestimate.
A release from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ranked heat waves and extreme temperatures among the most deadly natural phenomena for humanity. According to WMO calculations, the number of heat waves (when abnormal temperatures in a particular region persist for several days) has increased sixfold since the 1980s.
Of particular concern to the WMO is the rise in minimum nighttime temperatures. According to doctors, repeated high night temperatures are especially dangerous for human health, as the body does not have time to recover from hot days. This directly leads to an increase in heart attacks and death. Today, the focus is on maximum daytime temperatures, but it is nighttime temperatures that pose the greatest health risk, especially for vulnerable populations.
