North America Just Experienced the Hottest June in History
If you’ve been complaining about the heat last month, you had every reason to. That’s because North America just experienced the hottest June in its recorded history. A big part of that can be attributed to the heat dome over Canada.
This was confirmed by the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
The heat-dome that was covering the western side of Canada played a very large role in this record. During which temperatures exceeded 121F and caused hundreds of sudden deaths.
The Fourth Hottest June in the World
Even if your not in North America, you have the right to say it’s been a hot June.
Copernicus also found that that on a global front, it is tied with June 2018 as the fourth hottest June. Only June 2016, 2019, and 2020 exceed it. And yes, five out of the last six Junes have been the hottest in history.
It’s pretty clear evidence that global warming is real and it’s here.
Other regions that had particularly sweltering Junes including Europe, its second-hottest June, and Siberia, which had its fourth warmest (tied with 2012).
Oddly enough, the only place to escape the heat was Antarctica, which actually saw a cooler than normal June. So at least there is some good news.
Why Scientists Are Shocked at the Data
Scientists fully expect that temperatures would continue to rise, but what they didn’t expect is the speed and severity of it.
For instance, Canada had its temperature record completely shattered. The new one exceeds the previous record by nearly 5C. That’s nearly 8 degrees Fahrenheit! Temperature records will be broken, but this is something else.
And, the reality of the situation is that heatwaves are more deadly than any other form of weather type. Seriously, more people die during heat waves than hurricanes. In fact, the two are sometimes linked.
After all, hurricanes only form over hot water in the ocean.
The difference between the two is that one leaves a wake of destruction, which makes it easier to get attention, while the other doesn’t. That’s why heatwaves are called “silent killers” by scientists.
The World Needs to Prepare
If the trend of exceeding record temperatures continues to this degree, heatwaves could get even deadlier.
That’s why scientists are urging countries to improve infrastructure to compensate for this extreme weather. For instance, the city of Portland opened up cooling centers to the public when temperatures were expected to reach over 100 degrees.
A cooling center is a public space that is air-conditioned to help local residents cool off during extreme heat. This can save lives, but only if they are available and people know they need them.
While we can control the first, the latter is the real problem.
Most people will not be able to recognize when they are on the verge of a heat stroke. In fact, it usually takes another person to identify it. The best thing you can do is stay out of the heat.
If this is not possible, make sure to stay hydrated and take breaks in shaded areas.
Robert has been following and writing about environmental stories for years at GreenGeeks. He believes that highlighting environmentally friendly practices can help promote change in every household.
