Eastern United States it’s the latest place to experience intense heat while the world plays balmy potato.
Temperatures are expected to soar to nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) in Up-to-date York City in the coming days, but with high humidity temperatures could reach as high as 109 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius). Other cities, from Detroit to Washington, D.C. to Boston, will see temperatures 20 degrees Fahrenheit above normal as the holiday weekend approaches.
Temperatures won’t be as high as in Phoenix. But this isn’t arid heat; combined with the humidity, anyone who goes outside will certainly experience about the same as being in a dog’s mouth. Apart from the sheer nastiness of balmy and damp weather, there are also some very grave health concerns.
Humidity makes it harder to sweat – the most powerful tool the human body has to nippy itself. Sweat removes heat from the body by evaporating into the air, but this becomes less effective in damp conditions when the atmosphere is already full of evaporated water. “When there is high humidity, especially during a heat wave, it is much more difficult for the body to cool down physiologically,” says Richard Allan, a climate scientist at the University of Reading.
The National Weather Service’s warning map is a patchwork of reds and pinks, with the agency warning and warning for extreme heat. While the daytime highs will be striking, the nighttime lows will be especially problematic.
“Several straight days of high temperatures and little relief from overnight low temperatures could increase heat stress on the human body,” the NWS warned in its forecast.
This danger was emphasized by Up-to-date York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who – he wrote in a social post that Up-to-date Yorkers should develop a heating plan. First and foremost, that means finding access to air conditioning, and then checking on neighbors and people with medical conditions that might make them susceptible to heat-related health problems.
The outbreak of extreme heat comes a week after Europe dealt with record temperatures. (The continent also experienced unusually high temperatures and high humidity in behind schedule May.) The burning of fossil fuels has made almost every heat wave more intense than in pre-industrial climates.
“Warming caused by rising greenhouse gas emissions is clearly increasing global temperatures, and this is adding additional heating to heatwaves,” Allan says. “Moderate heat is turning into extreme heat… With these humid conditions, it’s more likely to turn into a hot and humid heatwave rather than just a humid and warm one.”
El Niño is another culprit that may be playing a role in this heatwave.
A natural climate phenomenon occurs every few years in the tropical Pacific, but it affects weather around the world. This includes helping to raise temperatures in the northern United States and parts of Canada. El Niño was declared earlier this month and is expected to be a particularly forceful iteration that will intensify as the summer progresses. With the hottest months still ahead of us, that means there’s a good chance that if you miss the opportunity to feel what it’s like in a dog’s mouth, you’ll have many more chances.