July was the hottest month in modern times. Now, August is shaping up to be a month of extremes.
Marked by heatwaves and fires all around the world, July 2023 was 0.33 degrees Celsius higher than the record set in July 2019 when the average temperature was 16.63C (32 Fahrenheit), according to the European Union’s climate observatory.
And the heat keeps coming and is relentless, so it seems. From mountain tops to the depths of the ocean, no one place or habitat is safe from the relentless heat. Heatwaves are baking large parts of the northern hemisphere, fuelling unprecedented wildfires and disrupting marine ecosystems, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
“This is the new normal and does not come as a surprise,” said Alvaro Silva, a climate expert with WMO. “The frequency and intensity of many extremes, such as heatwaves and heavy precipitation, have increased in recent decades. There is high confidence that human-induced climate change from greenhouse emissions, is the main driver. This gives us the long-term context for the increasing occurrence and severity of such extreme weather and extreme events,” he told a regular media briefing in Geneva.
“There are several studies suggesting a connection between rapid warming and changes in the Arctic, due to human-induced climate change, and midlatitude weather patterns, including in atmospheric dynamics such as the jet stream but further in-depth research is needed to fully understand and explain the extremes occurring this summer,” said Mr Silva.
Wildfires are “off the charts”
No one would disagree with the assessment that the number of wildfires in the world this year is truly staggering. This year, the first country that comes to mind is Canada and its horrendous fire season.
This year’s fire season started in March, and as of August 22, 5,881 fires had burned 153,254 square kilometers (59,172 sq mi; or 37,869,888 acres). Also, on August 22, there were 1,040 wildfires active, and 660 of those were deemed “out of control.”
And in Europe, we had the wildfire that broke out on the island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands of Spain. The fire, driven by the wind, heat, and low humidity levels, caused mass evacuations, widespread damage to the island’s flora and fauna
Additionally, Spain, the United Kingdon, Italy, Greece, and the latest, Turkey have been hit. But none of these fires can compare with the devastation and intensity of the fires on the island of Maui in the U.S. State of Hawaii in August.
In early August 2023, a series of wildfires broke out in the U.S. state of Hawaii, predominantly on the island of Maui. The wind-driven fires prompted evacuations, caused widespread damage, and killed at least 115 people, leaving 850 others missing in the town of Lāhainā.
In the United States alone, Tropical Storm Hilary swept across southern California and the Southwest, and another storm struck Texas. Meanwhile, in Florida, the water of the Atlantic Ocean is so hot that the coral reefs are bleaching, and will be dead quite soon.
WMO climate expert Alvaro Silva commented that “the frequency and intensity of many extremes, such as heatwaves and heavy precipitation, have increased in recent decades”. He noted that it can be said with “high confidence” that human-induced climate change from greenhouse emissions is the main driver.
