Heat records far surpass impressive records all over the world

Further south, where the heat has taken hold for more than a week, at least 1,000 people have died of heat-related illnesses in Portugal and Spain so far. Temperatures in Spain soared to more than 45 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit) during the nearly week-long heatwave.

And in the United States, more than 40 million people received heat warnings and warnings on Monday from North Dakota to Texas, where soaring temperatures are expected to soar into the 90s and into the hundreds of last century. Meteorologists have warned that dozens of temperature records could be broken during the week.

Imagine a bell-shaped temperature curve, Vicki said, with cold on the left and warm on the right. As climate change shifts this temperature curve to the warmer side, the long tails of the curve increase by a proportionally larger amount than the middle, indicating an increased likelihood of hotter events and a reduced likelihood of cold events.

Vicki said the European heat wave is noteworthy, given its cascading nature, which will only continue as the planet warms and is all the more reason to prepare for a hotter future.

While this year isn’t yet set to be the hottest on record, despite a heat wave in South Asia in May and another heat dome in Europe, this year is still warmer than historical times, which Vicki said “is driven in part by Much of it is due to the increase in greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels.”

“It was a warm year,” he said. “And these are the hallmarks of global warming.”