The world just had the hottest week on record and is now entering into “uncharted territory,” according to the World Meteorological Organization based on preliminary data.
The global mean temperature between July 3 and July 9 was 17.18 C, with temperatures above the previous record set in 2016, according to WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis.
Data from Japan, which has not yet been confirmed by the WMO, also shows that July 7 was the hottest day on record. The average global temperature was 17.24 C, which is 0.3 C hotter than the previous record of 16.94 C on Aug. 16, 2016.
The record temperatures are partly due to the onset of El Niño, according to the WMO, which is expected to fuel further heat on land and in the oceans and lead to more extreme heat waves; 2016 was another strong El Niño year.
“We are in uncharted territory and we can expect more records to fall as El Niño develops further and these impacts will extend into 2024,” professor Christopher Hewitt, WMO director of climate services, said in a statement.
“This is worrying news for the planet.”
Global temperature averages are determined by combining observations from satellites with computer model simulations, WMO says.
The record temperatures in July come after June reached about 0.5 C above the 1991-2020 average, according to a report from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. The high smashed the previous record for the month set in June 2019.
Canada is no exception to the above-normal temperatures seen recently, according to Global News chief meteorologist Anthony Farnell. He noted records have recently been broken in the Northwest Territories, with temperatures reaching 37.9 C — the farthest north such a temperature has ever been recorded. It beat the previous record by almost 3 C, Farnell said.
“That is definitely a concern,” he said. “It’s something we’ve been dealing with in Canada since the beginning of May. We’ve had these records very far north in our country.”
Norman Wells and Fort Good Hope set all-time temperature highs in N.W.T., reaching 37.9 C and 37.4 C respectively on July 8, according to Jesse Wagar, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. Both had a previous high of 35 C set in 1989 in Norman Wells and 1920 in Fort Good Hope.
Inuvik also broke a temperature record at 33 C on July 4, Wagar said, beating the record of 32.8 C set in 2001.
The higher temperature in the north can affect the permafrost and vegetation there, which can lead to sinkholes and the release of trapped methane in the ground, according to Farnell.
The north isn’t the only place in Canada to see record heat in July. On July 9, heat warnings were in place in six provinces and two territories, with temperatures around 30 C in most of Atlantic Canada, B.C. and Alberta for the day and/or Monday, depending on location.
Six temperature records were broken in B.C. on Sunday, with the highest temperature being in Nakusp, which reached 37.2 C, up from the previous record of 36.9 C in 2001.
A person cools off in a water fountain on the Halifax Waterfront in Halifax on Thursday, July 6, 2023. A heat warning was issued for all Maritime provinces with soaring temperatures and high humidity across the region. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese.
Farnell said the west and north have borne the brunt of the higher temperatures, while some places like Toronto have been cooler. The temperatures have been due to “blocking,” he said, which is when the heat gets displaced farther north, leading to a weaker-than-normal jet stream in some areas.
“These persistent highs can just sit over one area for a week or two or even longer, and it just leads to extremes where you don’t typically see them,” he said.
Adding to the highs are heat domes in parts of Canada, Farnell said.
The high temperatures have been one factor that has led to more wildfires this year, which in turn has created smoky and hazy conditions in major cities in North America. Environment Canada warns that very high temperatures can pose an elevated risk of illnesses like heat stroke or heat exhaustion.
And the higher temperatures are expected to continue.
According to federal government data, the number of extremely hot days in a year is expected to more than double in some parts of Canada over the next 30 years, said Dr. Andrew Park, the president of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA) during a press briefing Wednesday.
“These heat-related issues are a particular concern for low-income and vulnerable populations, many of whom lack access to air conditioning or cooling centers,” he said, noting that there typically is a rise in emergency department visits with heat-related exposure. During the heat wave in 2021, he said there was a spike in cases of heat stroke and dehydration, as well as acute kidney failure related to dehydration.
“These add pressure to an already burdened health-care system.”
Park also said that there could be a growing number of cases of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses as more ticks are able to survive winters in Ontario.
Given that the summer is just beginning, Farnell said he doesn’t see any place being immune to more heat records being broken. Canadians could see more back-and-forth between hot and cooler weather over the next few weeks, with the “blocking” phenomenon not occurring. Ultimately, he thinks more records will fall, but not to the extent we’ve seen so far.
A woman carries her dog through a water fountain on the Halifax Waterfront in Halifax on Thursday, July 6, 2023. A heat warning was issued for all Maritime provinces with soaring temperatures and high humidity across the region. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese.
— with files from The Canadian Press and Global News’ Kathy Michaels
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